Out of the Shadows
by KageUncaged
Summary: Like most of modern Hyrule, Sheik Cromwell doesn't think much of ancient legends. But the high school student is forced to reconsider when strange occurrences bring together old allies and enemies alike to oppose a rising malevolence. In this new era, forgotten memories and buried secrets come to light as the truth emerges from out of the shadows. (Modern AU)
1. Action and Reaction

1 - "Action and Reaction"

* * *

><p>Smoke. The smell he awoke to was smoke. A spike of urgency shot through him and he jolted up from his bed.<p>

What, was there a fire? But why didn't the smoke detectors go off? Was he dreaming? No, no, no, he was wide awake—he was sure of it. Not liking the possibilities, he reached for the door and gripped the handle, only to recoil in pain.

"Dammit," he muttered. The doorknob was red-hot. A fire, then. A wave of panic rushed over him, and he kicked the door.

One. Nothing.

Two. Still nothing.

Three. The door burst open and he had to shield his eyes from the light. He strained to keep his eyes open, and when he did he gaped at what he saw.

There was fire everywhere. The entire house—the place where he spent his childhood—was up in flames. He bit back the pangs of sorrow that stabbed at him and forced himself to concentrate. He was still in the house. The burning, smoke-filled house that could collapse at any moment.

A fit of coughs attacked him, and he covered his nose and mouth. He had to get out of there. Hurriedly, he cautiously made his way toward the one door that wasn't blocked off. He felt like he was going to melt from the heat of the hungry flames and was racked by another coughing fit, but was able to make it to the door. As soon as he got out, he was paralyzed by what he saw.

Fire, fire everywhere. Not just his house. The entire village—the entire village was ablaze. He choked back a scream. How could this happen? Everyone—where was everyone? Had they all gotten out in time? His eyes widened as terror gripped at his heart. His mom—where in the name of Din was his mom?!

It was at that moment that he heard a horrifying crash. He turned around to see the house that he had just been in had collapsed. The support beams of the house were jutting out in the most disgusting way. He struggled to breathe.

Suddenly, his entire body convulsed with another fit—partially caused by coughs, partially sobs—and he couldn't take it anymore. With a mix of the sweltering heat, the smoke, despair, fury, confusion, and agony, he ran.

When he was finally a far enough distance away, he slowed to a stop. He reluctantly found the courage to turn around and look back at the burning village. The entire town was lit up—like the light of a candle in the dark of the night. With a start, he realized there was a light coming from his pocket as well. Had he left his cell phone in his pajamas? Curious, he removed the contents of his pocket. He couldn't believe what he saw.

It wasn't his cell phone that was glowing.

It was the back of his hand.

* * *

><p>"Brial."<p>

"Here."

"Castian."

"Here."

"Closter."

"Here."

"Cromwell."

"…"

"…Cromwell?"

"…Huh? Oh—sorry, I'm present."

"…Ms. Cromwell, would you please remove your hood from your head?"

"Oh, right. Forgot I had it on…"

A thin, bandaged hand reached up and gently pulled back the dark blue hood from the girl's head. Her blonde braid was tucked into the back of her hood, and messy bangs bristled with the movement to reveal piercing crimson eyes.

"Thank you, Ms. Cromwell. Now, where was I? Ah, yes…"

Sheik Cromwell glanced at the clock on the wall with a look of disinterest. At first look, it was difficult to tell that she was a girl. There was one unfortunate incident in which one poor girl hadn't realized it and had tried to flirt with her, resulting in one very awkward conversation for Sheik. Of course, when the girl realized her mistake she apologized profusely, flushing with embarrassment.

Sheik wasn't known for being very sociable, and it was because of that that very little was known about her. She wasn't involved in any school sports or clubs, so her extracurricular activities and hobbies were a mystery. In truth, it was difficult to tell if she was interested in anything at all, as she gave no indication of enthusiasm for anything during the school day. Sheik looked every part the underachiever, and most would have considered her one if that theory wasn't contrasted by consistently high grades. Over all, Sheik Cromwell was an enigma that the rest of the student body had given up on figuring out.

Of course, Sheik knew exactly what she was. She was hardworking and driven by the things she enjoyed, and procrastinated on the things she didn't. She had an affinity to martial arts, and cared deeply for her mother. She had great interest in reading, but was always picky in choosing her books, and had a great appreciation for music. Around strangers, she could be cold and distant, and around friends she was laid-back and sarcastic. She was distrustful—perhaps a bit too much so—though at times she could also be impulsive and reckless.

Even though she wasn't very open, Sheik _did_ have a personality. She had interests and preferences and hobbies. She just didn't share them with others.

And she was perfectly fine with that.

* * *

><p>When Sheik stepped of the classroom, she was immediately greeted by a fiery red-haired girl dressed from head to toe in black.<p>

"Hey, Sheik!"

Sheik smiled. "Hey, Midna. Hard to believe it's finally the weekend."

The smaller girl blew on a strand of hair. "Tch, I know! Feels like this week took forever." At that, Sheik sighed. She and Midna were…_different_, to say the least. Where Sheik was subtle, passive, and even-tempered, Midna was fiery, energetic, and assertive. They were complete opposites as far as personalities went. By all logic, the two should have gotten sick of each other a long time ago, but Sheik came to realize that the reason why they got along so well was _because_ of the fact that they were so different. Their personalities complemented each other beautifully, and as a result, they rarely fought.

…And yet, in some ways, they were remarkably similar. While Midna could be hot-tempered and rash, she was also kind-hearted and warm, which Sheik admired about her.

Of course, if she ever said that to her face, Midna would probably slit her throat.

"You know, school only started a couple of weeks ago," Sheik said teasingly. "If you start getting tired of it now, its gonna be a pretty long year…"

Midna punched her arm. "Oh, shut it! School always sucks no matter what time of the year it is, and you know it."

Sheik grinned, raising an eyebrow. "Well—"

"—Oof!" Surprised, Sheik turned to see that she had run into someone.

"Oh, Din! My bad, sorry—"

"Why you—! You better be sorry!"

As the other person regained balance and looked up, Sheik frowned. "Oh, it's just you, Groose. Didn't see you there." Groose was a tall red-haired athlete with a reputation for having a bad temper. For Sheik, moments like these weren't very uncommon.

"You little—!" Groose grabbed the blonde girl by the collar. "You better apologize for that!"

Sheik reached up to the bigger boy's hand and raised an eyebrow. "I thought I just did." Groose's cronies laughed in response, and the boy turned red.

"D-Don't play smart with me! When I'm through with you, you're gonna be—"

"**_Ahem_**." All of the teens turned to see the imposing figure of Mr. Dragmire. Ganondorf Dragmire was a towering man with hair the color of fire and the eyes of a beast. His reputation for being incredibly strict and the fact that much of the school was terrified of him (including staff) earned him several nicknames, including "Demon King" and "The Dark Lord." Incidentally, he was also a History teacher.

"What is the meaning of this disturbance?" He asked, expression unchanging. The teenagers cringed. "As I recall, fighting on campus is strictly forbidden." When no one said anything, his eyes narrowed. "I suggest that you break it up, or you'll end up having me as your opponent instead. Is that clear?"

"Y-yes sir," was the collective response. Groose loosened is grip on Sheik, who rubbed her neck and stuffed her hands in her pockets.

"Good. Now leave. The bell has rung and the buses shall be departing soon." As the teacher left, Groose sent Sheik a meaningful glare, and walked away. Midna scoffed.

"That was so stupid!" she fumed, waving her arms as she spoke. "I don't get that guy's problem!"

Sheik shrugged nonchalantly. "I dunno."

Midna spun on her. "And you! Why didn't you pull one of your ninja moves on him? You could have taught him a lesson or two!"

"That would have been pointless, and Mr. Dragmire was there anyways. It doesn't matter anymore. It's over."

Midna scoffed. "How'd I know you would say that…"she muttered, rolling her eyes. After a few seconds of silence, she changed the subject. "Hey, you wanna come over this afternoon?"

Sheik smiled ruefully. "Sorry, I have to do something today. Maybe some other time?"

Midna frowned. "Ugh, fine, whatever." She sighed, before settling into a smile. "See ya later."

"Yeah, see ya."

* * *

><p>"Bout time you got here," the voice muttered as Sheik walked through the door. The blonde smirked.<p>

"It's not my fault you want to be so secretive. If I didn't have to worry about people seeing me, I would have gotten here a lot faster."

Groose sighed. "Yeah, whatever," he said, focusing on the object in his hands.

"You said it was almost ready?" Sheik said, holding up the small piece of paper he had given her when he had grabbed her collar. With that, the bigger teen grinned.

"Not almost. She's _done_." Sheik and Groose's partnership began last year when Sheik accidentally found Groose in one of the unused classrooms building something. When she discovered Groose's secret talent for inventing things, he had made her swear into secrecy, claiming that if word got out, it would ruin his reputation as a "jock." Sheik agreed on the condition that she would be able to commission him to make things for her, and since then they had been working on projects together. If Sheik had an idea, Groose could make it into a reality. Though he seemed to be displeased that someone found out his secret, Sheik suspected he was glad to have someone to share his hobby with without judging him.

"Here," Groose said, handing over the object. "A thin, durable bracer that can easily be concealed under clothes. It provides protection from knives, but is also flexible enough to provide for easy movement."

Sheik slipped it on, admiring how light it was. She gave a few test punches and smirked. "You said it provides protection from knives? To what extent?"

"I tested it with a few knives at home, and they can't cut through. I hadn't tried stabbing it though, so I would be careful."

Sheik frowned. She probably wouldn't be using it for that anyways. Really, she just wanted to be sure she had an extra edge in case she ever got into a knifefight unarmed. But still…

"That makes it worth a little less than what I originally proposed, then." She glanced up at him. "Speaking of which, how much are you asking for?"

"I know the original price was thirty-five rupees, but I'll give it to you for twenty." Sheik raised an eyebrow. She knew said it was worth less, but Groose would never lower the price this much unless…

"What's the catch?"

Groose smirked. "There's this essay that's due in a couple of weeks, and it's worth a lot of points…"

Sheik seemed to consider. "I can do it, but it'll only be worth a C."

"…How about an A minus?"

"C_ plus_."

"_B _plus?"

"B _minus_."

"Deal," Groose said, shaking her hand. In her head, she knew that the bracer wasn't worth _that_ much, but this deal would insure the benevolent nature of her relationship with Groose, and in doing so, she had insured that he was willing to work with her in the future—which was probably worth more than the rupees and paper combined.

"It was a pleasure working with you, Sheik."

Sheik smiled. "Oh, believe me, the pleasure was all mine."

* * *

><p>When she got home, Sheik unceremoniously dropped her back onto the floor.<p>

"You're back, Sheik," a woman's voice said. "How was your day?"

Sheik shrugged. "Hey, Imps. It was alright." A tall, silver haired woman stepped into the living room and smiled knowingly. Sheik thought it was a little strange how her mother insisted on being called by her first name—even by her own child—but she got used to it.

"Just 'alright'?"

Sheik snorted. "Yeah." She walked over to the living room and plopped on the couch. "What about you? Anything interesting?"

Impa waved her hand. "Not really. How's school going? Are your classes going well?" Sheik sighed.

"Yeah, they're all fine." Sheik's mother was…a strange woman. Well, maybe strange wasn't the word for it—more like—_secretive_. She insisted that Sheik call her by name, but refused to give her an explanation. Moreover, she never talked about Sheik's dad. Ever. Sheik had tried asking her about it before, but she always circumvented the question. Sheik wondered if maybe he left her or died or something, but even if he had, she was sure her mom would have told her _something_. No matter how heartbreaking either of those situations would have been, Impa wasn't the kind to let her own grief keep her from telling her child the truth. Sheik also theorized that she could have been adopted, but decided that was unlikely. Sheikah weren't very common, and the chances of them both being from the same dying race when they weren't related was just too small. And Sheik was fairly certain that she was Sheikah—no one else in Hyrule had the same crimson eyes, and it was impossible to change someone else's eye color without them realizing it. Unless, of course, there was some kind of magical spell involved, but no one in Hyrule believed in magic anymore. Such beliefs were actually quite common in the past, as well as belief in legends of heroes and demons and magical princesses, but such ideas had been long abandoned as Hyrule advanced.

"Hey, Sheik?" Sheik looked up as the sound of Impa's voice broke her out of her thoughts. "Can I ask a favor of you?"

Sheik sat up. "Sure, Impa. Shoot."

Impa handed her an envelope. "I need you to deliver this tonight," she said.

Sheik raised an eyebrow. "A letter?" she said. "Can't you mail it?"

Impa shook her head. "I need this to be delivered as soon as possible. Can you do that for me?"

Sheik frowned in confusion. This was certainly stranger than normal. "…Alright, I guess so," she said tentatively. "Just tell me where to go."

* * *

><p>Even after she had delivered the letter, Sheik was puzzling over her mother's strange behavior. That was the first time Impa had asked her to do a task like that, and she had a feeling she wasn't going to get a reason why. Sheik sighed. What could be so important that it would have to be delivered tonight? And by her, no less? Why couldn't Impa have delivered it herself? She was far from old and senile. And it wasn't like her to make Sheik do something she could easily do herself.<p>

Something wasn't adding up. And Sheik was going to find out what. If Impa wouldn't tell her, then she was just going to have to—

"Oof!"

"Oh, sorry!" Sheik said, internally cursing herself for running into someone the second time in a day. She knelt down to help the person she had just bumped into. "Are you okay?"

"…Er…yeah…" they said. Sheik noticed that it was a guy. He was wearing a black hoodie, but from the look of his face he couldn't have been too much older than she was. His hair fell unevenly around his face, and there was something charmingly innocent about his smile. When he looked up at her, she was caught off guard by how striking his eyes were.

"I'm really sorry about that," she said. "I don't know what's with me today."

The boy waved it off. "Nah, it's my fault—I should have been watching where I was going."

Sheik offered him a hand. "Do you need help getting up?"

He shook his head, getting to his feet. "No, I'm good." He smiled. "But thanks. You're a lot nicer than anyone else I've met around here."

"…So you're new to the area?"

"Yeah, but I probably won't be here long. I'm just looking for someone."

"Oh. Well, do you need help looking for them?" In her head, Sheik cursed herself for making such a suggestion. She barely knew this kid and probably wouldn't have the first clue where to look.

"Well, um…" the boy scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, "…do you know how to get to the Castle? Um, I just wanted to see it before I left and, uh…"

Sheik raised an eyebrow. Who exactly _was_ this kid? Everyone knew how to find Hyrule Castle, regardless of whether or not they were an outsider. "I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but Hyrule Castle is closed to tourists at the moment," Sheik said. The boy's expression didn't change.

"That's fine, I just wanted to see a glimpse of it from the outside. Do you know how to get there?" Sighing, Sheik gave him the directions. The boy smiled.

"Thank you for the help, I really appreciate it."

Sheik shrugged. "Sure. Good luck finding your friend," she said. She was about to turn around and walk away as she spotted something on the ground. A golden keychain. He must've dropped it.

"Hey! Wait up!" Sheik called, running up to the boy. "You left this." When the boy saw the object, his eyes widened. He let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank you. Can't believe I was stupid enough to drop this." Sheik handed it to him, and—

—their hands touched.

Sheik froze as something strange came over her. She stood there, unable to move, as the overwhelming sensation washed over her very being. It was like having the wind knocked out of her. The very feeling was indescribably paralyzing.

And the boy pulled back his hand and it was gone.

"…Anyways, thanks a lot for all your help," he was saying, seeming a bit nervous as he started backing away from the disgruntled blonde. "I'm sure I'll be on my way in no time!" Sheik just stared at his retreating figure.

…_What on earth…just _happened_?_

* * *

><p>((Edit: 910/15


	2. Disappointment and Discord

2 - "Disappointment and Discord"

* * *

><p>He found it. He was sure of it. But why was it <em>there<em>? It wasn't where he was expecting it to be. …Had she lied to him? —No, she wouldn't have—she had no reason to. But still… The boy sighed. At least he'd found it today, or else he would've been on a wild cuccoo chase. Just his luck.

He heard a twig snap underneath his feet and he cursed internally. He looked up at his target and felt a small wave of relief. They hadn't heard him.

Unfortunately, his relief was short-lived because it was at that very moment when he felt a presence behind him. He cursed and whirled around to see three grotesque humanoid creatures armed and ready to attack. There was a flash of light and a golden sword materialized in his hand.

He evaded the first monster's attack and sliced at another. The creature blocked his strike and he leaped back to avoid another blow.

"Dammit," he muttered. "I can't just leave them here like this…" He frowned as he blocked another blow. At this rate, he was going to lose his target. Losing patience, he stabbed at the monster nearest him and it fell, unprepared for the attack. As soon as it hit the ground, the creature disappeared with a puff of smoke.

The other two, also surprised by the sudden movement, were frozen with shock, giving the boy the opportunity to take them both down with a spin attack. The monsters fell and disappeared in the same manner as the first one. The boy let out a sigh of relief, and stuck the sword in the ground to allow himself a brief respite.

Suddenly, he heard a grunt behind him and was alert again, whipping his head around. To his surprise, he saw a blonde teenager in a blue hoodie holding a fourth monster in a chokehold. The creature flailed a bit before becoming limp, and was unceremoniously dropped to the ground.

"You missed one," the newcomer muttered, and the boy frowned. He picked up his blade and went over to the fallen monster, stabbing it where it lay. There was a final puff of smoke and it was gone.

"I owe you one," the boy muttered. The stranger's eyes narrowed.

"I take it you're not just in town to visit, are you?"

The boy smiled mirthlessly. "No, I'm not."

The newcomer, however, was not amused.

"You owe me some answers," they said, walking up to him angrily. "First off, who the hell are you, second, what were those things, and third—"crimson eyes narrowed dangerously, "—why in the name of Din were you following me?" At that, he boy winced internally. Crap. Guess he wasn't that stealthy after all.

"I was that obvious?" he asked, trying to seem nonchalant. Before he knew it, he was pinned against a nearby tree with the stranger's arm over his neck.

"Answer the question," the stranger growled. The boy frowned. With a flash of movement he had the situation reversed, with him pinning the newcomer to the tree in a position that would be nearly impossible to compromise.

"You're pretty aggressive for a princess, aren't you?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

He frowned. "Just relax. I'm not here to be your enemy."

The stranger scowled. "Oh yeah? Up until this point you've done little to convince me otherwise."

The boy sighed impatiently. "Look, if I let go of you, will you promise you won't attack me?"

"…Fine." The boy released his grip. The stranger turned to face him.

"Alright," they said, "I didn't attack you. Now tell me what's going on."

The boy frowned. "I don't know if you'll believe me."

Eyes narrowed. "Try me."

The boy sighed. "Okay, so you know the ancient legends about the Triforce?" The stranger gave him an expression that said '_Get on with it.'_ "Well, they're real." There was silence.

"…You're from a mental institute, aren't you?"

"Wha—dammit, no! I'm being serious!" He sighed in frustration. "Look, I don't care whether or not you believe me. I thought it was crazy too." He looked at her meaningfully. "But I _do_ need your help."

The blonde frowned. "What do you need from me?"

"I just need you to come with me. There's this thing—an artifact, I guess—that I have to get."

"But what does that—"

"Let me finish." He glared. "The problem is that the person I'm supposed to get it from was told not to give it to anyone—" he looked at her, "—except you."

"…Right. You expect me believe that."

The boy ran his fingers through his hair angrily. "Like I said, I'm not asking you to believe me—I know it sounds ridiculous. …But what I _am_ asking is that you help me with this—after that, I'll leave and you'll never have to see my face again."

The stranger seemed to consider. "…Alright," she said finally, "I'll go with you." He let out a sigh of relief— "…But on one condition." _Crap_. The girl raised her arm and pointed. "I'm taking the sword. At least until I know I can trust you."

The boy frowned in irritation. This was not going as planned.

"Fine," he said, handing over the weapon, "but if we get into trouble, it'll be up to you to protect the both of us."

She raised an eyebrow. "Are you _expecting_ us to get into trouble?"

The boy shrugged. The stranger frowned disapprovingly.

"Let me make one thing absolutely, clear," she said, "I am in no way doing this because I think there is any credibility to your claims. …In all honesty, I think you're a total nutcase." The boy rolled his eyes. _Great_. …Then again, he hadn't been expecting much else. "I am doing this," she continued, "because I am curious. And also—" her eyes narrowed, "I'll be able to keep an eye on you. I don't trust people who randomly bump into me and then decide to follow me around, and I'd much rather have you within my sights than wandering around Castle City left to your own devices." The boy sighed tiredly. Well, at least this way he didn't have to bother trying to convince her. He had a feeling that if she hadn't agreed on her own, he would have spent hours trying to bargain with her.

…Which probably would have ended with her outright refusing and forcing him to kidnap her, which, as he recently learned, would have been a lot more difficult than he'd expected.

"Whatever," he said. "I don't care what your reasons are as long as you agree to come." He glanced at her briefly before continuing. "My name's Link, by the way. Link Emeright."

The stranger snorted. "Sheik," she muttered, currently examining her commandeered weapon. It didn't look like she was going to say anything else, so Link focused his attention on the sword.

"You know, it'd be a lot easier if you retracted it."

Sheik looked up. "What?"

"Like this—" Link reached over and touched the sword. There was a flash of light, and in its place remained a small golden keychain—the same one from earlier, Sheik recalled.

"…Everything," she finally said. Link blinked in confusion. "You are going to tell me everything about what is going on now." Link frowned as a serious expression settled onto his face.

"Fine," he said. He gave her a challenging look. "But I'm not holding back—whether or not you believe me isn't my problem."

Sheik's crimson eyes didn't waver. "Fine. Now get on with it."

* * *

><p>"…Alright," Sheik said a few minutes later, "so what you're telling me is that you think you saw this vision of the goddess Farore, who told you that some nefarious bad guy is trying to take over Hyrule and that you, the hero of Legend who just so happened to conveniently be around at the time, are the only one who can stop him—and to do so, you have to collect these keys that will grant you access to the Master Sword? Am I missing anything? Let me guess," she sneered sarcastically, "are you supposed to be lead by a giant owl too?" Link frowned, but said nothing. Sheik scowled. "You still haven't told me what any of this has to do with me." <em>I'm beginning to wonder about that myself<em>, Link thought bitterly.

"According to the '_vision_' of Farore that I '_thought_' I had," he started mockingly, "the person charged with protecting the first key was instructed to give it only to one person—the reincarnation of the Princess of Destiny." His eyes narrowed. "Do you see what I'm getting at now?" Sheik's brow furrowed.

"You mean…you think _I'm_ this Princess of Destiny person?" She snorted. "I think you've got the wrong person. I'm the farthest thing from your typical fairytale damsel." Link frowned. _As if I hadn't noticed_, he thought.

"Look," Link started impatiently, "I can see that you're not exactly the princess-y type, but Farore told me that I'd know when I found her." Sheik raised an eyebrow. "Give me your hand," he said firmly.

"What?"

"I can settle this once and for all."

Begrudgingly, Sheik held out her hand. Link took it in his own the same way as before, and…

…nothing.

_What_?

Link frowned in confusion. What was this? Why wasn't it reacting like before? Did he really get the wrong person? But he was so sure…

"Um, hello? You were saying?" He grimaced, letting go of the girl's hand. "What was that about?"

"It's not important," he muttered. He looked up to meet her gaze. "The point is, I know you don't believe me, but you can humor me, right? This should only take up about a day of your time at most."

Sheik sighed. "I guess I already agreed, didn't I? …Well, whatever. Just for a day. Then I can forget this ever happened."

Link sighed in relief. "That's all I'm asking for."

* * *

><p>"…Um…you<em> did<em> say we were going to Death Mountain, right?"

"Yeah."

"You _do_ realize it'd be a lot faster if we went through—"

"—Kakariko?" Link finished. He leaned back in his bus seat. "We can't."

Sheik frowned. "Why not? The pass in Kakariko is—"

"We _can't_," Link repeated, not looking away from the window. "I mean it's literally impossible to get through Kakariko."

Sheik's brow furrowed in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Link sighed in irritation, obviously unwilling to talk about the subject. "We can't access the Mountain from Kakariko Village because Kakariko Village no longer exists." He continued to stare out his window. "The whole town burned to the ground about a month ago."

Sheik blinked. "…Excuse me if I find that a little hard to believe," she said finally. "It's just that the idea that an entire village burned down is a little—"

"Crazy?" Link's eyes finally snapped from the window to give Sheik a hard look. "That's what I thought too, before I woke up one night and everything was up in flames." Sheik was silent. She tried to see if he was lying, probing his body language or his expression for anything that would suggest that his story was less than true. But there was something—_genuine_ about the pain in his hard eyes—something nearly impossible to fake. Either this guy believed every word of what he was saying, or he was a pretty damn good liar.

"I'm sorry to hear that," she said finally. "Are your…?" She trailed off awkwardly.

"I doubt my mom's still alive. I don't know about anyone else." Sheik wasn't sure what to say. Noticing this, Link shrugged. "It doesn't matter now. I'm just surprised you'd actually heard of Kakariko before. It's such a small town that most people don't even know it exists."

"My mom used to be from there," Sheik said. "She lived there before she moved to Castle City."

Link nodded. "…Anyways, since we're not going to be able to get through Kakariko," he said, getting back to business, "we're going to have to go around." He leaned back. "It'll take a bit longer, but we should still be able to make it to the top before sundown."

"…Right," Sheik said. Link glanced at her. She was actually pretty thin, which was surprising given how strong she seemed the other day. She was wearing a white t-shirt with a red eye symbol, and on top of that she wore a blue jacket. Save for the bangs covering the left side of her face, all of her hair was up in a clip. Link briefly wondered if she ever let it down.

"…You still think I'm crazy, don't you?" he said finally. Sheik looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

"Why shouldn't I?"

"But didn't you see how those monsters disappeared? And how my sword changed size?"

Sheik pointed at her eye. "Historically, the Sheikah were known for being able to produce impressive illusions." She glanced at him. "It wouldn't surprise me if some kid found out how to replicate their tricks."

"Is that what you think those were? Magic tricks?" Sheik shrugged, now staring out the window. Link frowned, as it was obvious that the discussion was over.

* * *

><p>Death Mountain was much more intimidating than Sheik had imagined. She had never seen it before, so she could only stare when she saw how tall and powerful it looked as it loomed over her in its dark majesty. Around the top, there was an ominous cloud in the shape of a ring. However, in contrast to its name and appearance, the people who resided within the mountain were known for their amiability towards strangers. The Gorons had a reputation for being a friendly people with a love for celebration and brotherhood, and they probably would have gotten more visitors had there been some kind of lift to the top. The chief of their tribe had been strongly against defacing the mountain to allow for transportation to the top, so all tourists were forced to make the trek on foot, which, of course, kept some away, as they were intimidated by the daunting hike. Sheik, however, was sure she was up for it (she estimated it would take just over an hour to make it,) so such an issue was not a concern. She was about to glance over at her companion when she felt a buzzing in her pocket.<p>

"'Text from Midna'?" she muttered, examining her phone. Behind her, Link raised an eyebrow.

"You have _friends_?" he asked, incredulous. Sheik glared.

"Shut up." She looked at the message. '_Heyyyy, wanna hang out?' _Sheik frowned as she began to reply.

"Whoa, you're actually _texting_ back?"

Sheik ignored him. '_Sorry,'_ she typed, '_can't. Maybe tomorrow.'_ After it was sent, she shoved her phone in her pocket.

"Alright, let's go," she said. She raised an eyebrow. "Or would you rather stay here and squander your time mocking me?"

Link sighed. "You're right—let's do this."

* * *

><p>"…Out of curiousity, did you know about this?" Link scowled. The two of them had nearly made it to the top only to find a giant roadblock in their way.<p>

"No," Link muttered, barely able to conceal his frustration. Dammit, what the Din was going on? Could it be that—

"Hey, you there!" The two teens looked up to see someone waving at them. A Goron. Maybe he knew something. The two of them waited for him to roll down close enough to talk.

"What brings you here?" The Goron asked. "Don't you know that the Mountain is closed to outsiders?"

"We do now," Sheik muttered. Link ignored her.

"Why?" He asked. "I thought the Gorons liked visitors."

"Indeed we do," the Goron said, "but there has unfortunately been an incident that has compelled our leader to decide to block off the trail.

"'Incident'?" Link was surprised to see Sheik take an interest in the situation. He figured she'dve jumped at the excuse to leave.

The Goron nodded gravely. "Yes. A few days ago, a suspicious man was found skulking about the Mountain. We have put up this roadblock to keep him from entering."

"'Suspicious man'?" Link asked suddenly. The Goron blinked.

"Yes," he said. "While many of us were surprised that our leader had reacted in such a way, he insisted that the man not be allowed to enter."

"Right…" Link murmured, adopting a thoughtful expression. "But we still need to…" He looked up at the Goron. "Can we speak with your leader? We urgently need to—"

"I am truly sorry," the Goron said, "but no one is allowed through."

"But can't we at least talk to your leader first? Maybe he'll—"

"My boy," he said, looking at Link meaningfully, "If it's the leader of the Gorons you're looking for, then look no further. My name is Darunia, and I am the chief of this tribe." Sheik was surprised, but Link didn't waver.

"Then, Mr. Darunia, please reconsider—it is of the upmost importance that we—"

"_Link_," Sheik grabbed his wrist. "Give it up. It's not worth it." She looked at Darunia. "We're sorry for bothering you. We'll leave now." She was about to leave when the Goron chief stopped her.

"Wait a minute," he said. "Your eyes…would you by any chance know Impa Cromwell?"

Sheik blinked in surprise. "Uh, yeah. She's my mom."

The Goron let out a warm laugh. "Why didn't you say so?" he said, grinning heartily. "I normally wouldn't do this, but I'll make an exception for you. I'll let the two of you up the mountain."

Sheik blinked. What did her mom have to do with the leader of the Goron tribe? "Um, thank you," she said, open confusion on her face. She decided not to mention that Impa had no idea she was outside of Castle City.

"Of course! Anything for a friend of your mother." He winked. "Just don't tell anyone, alright?"

"Um, sure," Sheik said awkwardly. After the Goron chief sent them on their merry way and they were well out of earshot, Link spun around on her.

"Why didn't you tell me your mom was best friends with the most powerful man in the Goron tribe?!"

"I didn't know," Sheik seethed. She looked down angrily. "Although I should have guessed that she was keeping secrets from me," she muttered under her breath. At this, Link looked at her curiously.

"…Well, what matters is that we're through," he said finally. "We should be there soon."

"Great. Let's just get this over with."

About twenty minutes later, the two of them had made it to the highest part of the mountain that was accessible, above even Goron City.

"Here we are," Sheik said, looking around. "Now where's this old man you were telling me about?" Link examined the area. It was…depressingly barren. There were absolutely no signs of life. _What_? How could this be? Was he…_wrong_? Nonononono, he couldn't be, there was no way—

"Um, Link?" Sheik said. "There's absolutely nothing here." She was wrong, she had to be wrong, after coming all this way—

"_Dammit_!" He finally lost his composure, falling to his knees hopelessly. "Damn it all…"he muttered to himself. Of course there wouldn't be anything here, he really was just some crazy kid who didn't know what he was talking about—why would he expect anything else?

"I'll be waiting over there when you're ready," Sheik said, cutting him out of his thoughts. "Don't take too long." Of _course_ she would be this way. Had he been accompanied by _any other girl_, they would have taken pity on him—maybe even _made an effort_ to comfort him. But _no_. Not Sheik. She just let him wallow in his own grief, talking to him as if he were some kind of burden to her. The way she acted towards him just made him want to—

"Uh, Link? We kind of have a problem—"

"What are you talking about," Link asked blandly. He turned his head to see—

"Sheik, **_look out!_**" The blonde girl had jumped out of the way in just enough time to avoid the brunt of the giant's blow, but still caught enough of the force to be thrown back several feet. A sense of urgency overtaking him, Link sprinted over to the spot where she landed.

"Are you okay?" he asked hurriedly as she painfully started to get up.

"M'fine," she muttered, clutching the spot where she was hit, "but what in the name of Farore," she lifted an arm, "is _that_?" Link looked up to the giant creature. It was huge—at least three or four times Link's own height. The thing was completely made of stone, like a giant pile of rocks had spontaneously come to life. Link cursed under his breath.

"Alright, so here's how we're going to do this: I'll distract him while you—Sheik? Hey, _Sheik_!" He called out, but Sheik was already sprinting towards the creature. He noticed that she had a small collection of throwing knives in her hands and made a mental note to ask her about that later when—_if_ they got out alive. The Sheikah girl launched a series of attacks, throwing her knives at the only conceivable weak point on the monster—the chinks between the rocks. Many of her knives hit their respective targets, but there was absolutely no visible effect whatsoever. Link scowled. At this rate, she was going to end up getting herself killed.

"_Sheik_!" he called again. The girl didn't disengage from her target, but this time she at least bothered to reply.

"What? I'm kind of _busy_ at the moment," she called back, narrowly evading the creature's deathly blows.

"Give me my sword!" he said.

"_What_? No way in hell! For all I know, you're the one who summoned this thing!"

"What are you _talking_ about? Sheik, if you don't give me my sword, we're _both_ going to die!"

"I'm _fine_," Sheik growled stubbornly as she just barely missed the creature's latest attack.

"_Dammit_, _Sheik_!"

"Alright, _fine_!" Sheik yelled angrily. When she found the opening, she took out the golden keychain and threw it at the blonde-haired boy. Link caught it, and with a flash of light the blade materialized within his hand.

"_My_ turn," Link said, and he started sprinting towards the fray. As he got closer, he readied himself for the strike, and—

—nothing.

What the—

"What are you _doing_, Link?! I thought you said you could _help_!"

"I don't know! If it's being held together by magic, then my blade should have—"

"_Look out_!" Link looked up in just enough time to avoid the attack coming down from above. His strike may not have hurt the thing, but it certainly caught its attention.

"Dammit, why. Isn't. It. Working!" he said between blows. His sword was completely ineffective. This was bad. Really bad. But what else could he do? Aside from his sword, he didn't have any magic on him, and if he failed here, the monster would be free to do Nayru knows what. No, he had to stop it here. But how?

"Um, Link? A little help?" Link looked over to see that as he was thinking, the creature had taken an interest in Sheik, who was now facing off against the monster alone—and without weapons to boot. _Sheik_, he thought desperately, sprinting over to where she was being cornered. He was about to swing at it again, but the thing suddenly lashed out to its side—catching him off guard and throwing him to the side like a doll.

_Sheik…_he gathered just enough strength to look up at the one-sided battle one more time before the darkness overtook him and he lost consciousness.

* * *

><p>Sheik looked over to where Link's body lay. Dammit, this was not looking good. She looked up at the golem-like creature and swallowed. She had to get away from it—she couldn't keep dodging its attacks forever—but she had no weapons left, and the thing was backing her into a corner. The monster wasn't giving her any more openings like before—if she tried to make a run for it, she'd probably end up like a pancake.<p>

To put it bluntly, she was screwed.

Sheik quickly looked around to try to find an escape route, but there was nothing. Nowhere to run, no one to save her, no way to fight. It was hopeless.

Scowling, Sheik looked up at the monster. "You!" she yelled to it. "What do you want with me!" She wasn't expecting an answer, so she was surprised when the thing started to speak.

"_You…_" it said. Sheik's eyes narrowed. "_…Must…destroy…the princess…_**_Zelda_**_._" At that final word, something caught Sheik off guard—just like the other day when her hand brushed with Link's. It was as if a beam of light shot through her entire being. _Zelda_.

At that moment, she was no longer on Death Mountain. She was standing in the midst of a battlefield, except in this war, there were only two warriors—the giant pig-like creature before her, and the youth clothed in green. Lightning flashed overhead, and flames danced before her, cutting her off from the fight. She watched the battle with worry, as her chosen champion was increasingly becoming overwhelmed by his monstrous opponent. She let out a small gasp as the blade was knocked out of her hero's hand and spun dangerously in the air before landing mere feet from where she was standing. The giant boar turned to her, and suddenly her worry was no longer for the life of her hero, but her own. She braced herself, preparing for the wrath of her newfound opponent, when she heard something wonderfully clear shoot out through the din—

"_Zelda!_"

Sheik gasped and she was back at the mountain, with the golem looming over her. She fell to her knees as a sharp pain erupted on the back of her hand. With a golden light, the symbol of the Triforce appeared on her skin, with the triangle in the bottom left corner highlighted. At that moment, she knew everything about who and what she was.

_I am Zelda_, she realized with a start.

And the monster's fists came crashing down.

* * *

><p>((Edit: 910/15


	3. The Truths of a Liar

3 - "The Truths of a Liar"

* * *

><p><em>Then<em>

Link stood there for several seconds, unable to move. His hand…was _glowing_? _How_…? He just stared, frozen with disbelief. _That's _**_not_**_ possible…_

_"Do not be afraid, my child." _Link's head shot up. Before him, there stood a woman clothed in a flowing gold and white dress. Her hair and eyes were both green, and she was a few inches taller than Link. Her face was soft and youthful, but there was a sorrow in her eyes that made her seem ancient.

"Who…who are you?" Link asked. The woman smiled. Everything about her radiated kindness.

_"I am known by the name Farore." _

"'Farore'?" Link repeated incredulously. "As in the _goddess_ Farore?"

The woman nodded. _"I know that you are hurt and confused, but I must be brief. Time is running short." _Farore regarded the boy's hand. _"You bear the mark of the Chosen."_

"'Chosen?'" Link asked, somewhat weakly. It took all his strength to keep him from falling to his knees.

_"Yes," _Farore nodded gravely. _"You are to take part in a great destiny. The road ahead of you is filled with trials and hardships, and the burden you bear will be far greater than that of any other mortal being. But do not fear your Destiny, child, for you will not have to brave it alone. Here," _the goddess said, holding out her hand. In her palm there was a small golden keychain in the shape of a sword. _"Take this. It shall aid you on your quest."_

"_Quest_?" Link's head was spinning. One minute, the village he had spent his whole life in was burning to the ground and the next a woman claiming to be a goddess was telling him he was some kind of chosen one.

_"I know how hard this must be, but please listen. If you should fail, all of Hyrule will fall into ruin."_ She met his gaze meaningfully. _"A dark man seeks to plunge the whole of Hyrule into an era of darkness. As the chosen hero of legend, you are the only one with the power to stop him." _A million thoughts were running through Link's head, but she continued. _"You must find the Master Sword. Only then can you defeat the darkness that threatens to overtake this world."_

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, now just hold on for a second," Link said, unable to remain silent any longer, "you're telling me that I'm supposed to be some kind of legendary hero? I think you've got the wrong person. I can't even save my family from a fire—what makes you think I can save the entire world?" Link had expected the woman to be angry at his outburst, but she only looked at him sadly.

_"It may not make sense to you now, but you _**_do_**_ have the strength to carry out this task. It is dormant deep within you, but it is there."_ The goddess looked at him. _"Your memories from previous lifetimes will be of great aid to you. Although it would be unwise to return all of them to you at once, I will allow you to see into your past as needed."_

"My past?"

_"I am sorry—I would explain more, but my time here is running short. There are three keys you need in order to retrieve the Master Sword. The first is held by an elderly man atop Death Mountain. He has been instructed to give the key only to the bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom—the reincarnation of the Princess of Destiny. You must go to Castle City and seek out her aid—that is the first step in your quest."_

"Wait! What do I do after I get the first key?"

The goddess smiled.

_"All shall be made clear in time."_

**_Now_**

Sheik braced herself, waiting for her inevitable demise at the hands of the giant rock-like creature. When the blow didn't come, however, she slowly opened her eyes to be met with a shocking sight.

"M—Mr. _Dragmire_?" Before her was the hunched figure of her history teacher pushing against the overwhelming force of the golem's fist with his bare hands. His face was contorted with the effort, but by some miracle he continued to push back against the monster's terrible might. The history teacher let out a sharp yell as the monster continued to push down harder. Despite his apparent disadvantage he kept pushing on, and as he refused to give in to the sheer weight of the golem, a bright light manifested itself on the back of his right hand. In an impossible feat of superhuman strength, he pushed back against the monster's crushing fists and forced the monster backward. As the creature stumbled back in surprise, the teacher took the opportunity to assault its form with devastating waves of dark energy conjured in the palms of his hands. Sheik could only stare as her history teacher single-handedly drove back the creature that mere seconds ago had her at its mercy. Her eyes were glued to him as he drove one final blow deep into the center of the monster, causing it to falter and tumble to the ground in defeat, disappearing in purple puffs of smoke as the individual rocks hit the hard surface. With his opponent defeated, Mr. Dragmire turned to the teenager and went to help her to her feet. Sheik took his open hand wordlessly, rendered unable to speak from the shock of what she had just witnessed.

"Are you alright?" The teacher asked. Sheik nodded dumbly.

"Yeah, I—" her eyes widened. "Link!" With a spike of urgency, Sheik sprinted over to where the fallen boy lay. "Link, wake up!" She shook his shoulder. "Hey, Link!" No response. "Dammit, open your eyes, idiot!" Just as worry began to settle in the pit of Sheik's stomach, Link's eyes fluttered. "Oh, thank the goddesses," she muttered as he finally opened his eyes. "Hey, can you move?" she asked.

"…Er…yeah, I think…" Link said, coming to his senses. He sat up, only to clutch at his stomach in pain. "Ah—damn, does that hurt…"

Sheik frowned. "Take it easy," she said, "there's no rush."

"I'm fine," Link said stubbornly, "just a little sore." With Sheik's help, he got himself to his feet.

"What happened?" he asked. "All I remember is you…" he trailed off.

"…Um, right," Sheik said. "Well, the thing is—"

"The boy is awake then?" The two of them turned to see Mr. Dragmire walking towards them. "That's good, we'll have to—" there was a flash of movement as the clang of metal upon metal rang out.

"Sheik, what are you doing?" Link scowled at the Sheikah girl who was currently holding up her protected arm to block the sword's blow. Sheik's eyes narrowed.

"What am _I _doing? What are _you _doing? You can't just go around attacking the man who just saved both our lives!"

"You can't trust that man," Link growled. "You have no idea what he's done in the past."

"Actually," Sheik started challengingly, "I _do_. Don't forget that you're not the only one he's wronged, _Hero_." At that, Link wavered.

"You…you remember?" he asked, withdrawing his sword. Sheik didn't meet his gaze.

"Not much, but yes. I remember," she said quietly. She held up her hand to reveal the newly glowing Triforce symbol. Link smiled in relief.

"Then you understand now." Sheik nodded solemnly. Link turned to Mr. Dragmire. "I remember you." His eyes narrowed. "I don't trust you. Not after what you've done."

Ganondorf nodded. "I wouldn't expect anything less."The teacher's serious expression did not falter. "I would, however, suggest that you accept my assistance. Judging from your performance here today, it looks like you're going to need it."

Link scowled. "I don't need your help," he said angrily.

Sheik frowned disapprovingly. "Link, don't be foolish. I know he's sketchy, but Mr. Dragmire can be a valuable asset."

Link raised an eyebrow. "'_Mr_.'?" He asked accusingly.

Sheik flushed. "Er…he's sort of my history teacher."

Link regarded the larger man with surprise. "You're a _teacher_?"

Ganondorf frowned. "Is there something wrong with that?"

Link snickered. "No, it's just—I never would've thought—"

Sheik cleared her throat. "I'd hate to interrupt this, but we have much more pressing matters to discuss." Link coughed, sobering. She regarded him. "I'm sorry for not believing you." She looked down. "I—I can't believe how much I've forgotten…"

Link nodded. "It's fine," he said. "I would have thought I was crazy too."

Sheik gave a quick nod before turning to Ganondorf. "You mentioned something about helping us. Were you being sincere?"

The history teacher's lips straightened into a line. "Yes. Throughout this lifetime, I have gathered much knowledge that I feel could be beneficial to your cause."

Sheik's eyes narrowed distrustfully. "As I said, I remember very little, but I _do_ remember that you endangered Hyrule multiple times for the sake of your own selfish goals." Ganondorf frowned as she continued to speak. "Give me one good reason why I should trust you now."

Link blinked, surprised that she would regard the man in such a way after chastising him for doing the exact same thing.

"…I cannot undo the things I have done in the past," Ganondorf said finally, "nor can I ever hope to redeem myself for them." The teacher gave her a hard yet meaningful look. "But I _can _hope to make up for my wrongs by saving Hyrule from the darkness yet to come." Sheik frowned skeptically. "And besides, even if my intentions _were_ less than charitable, I _do_ live here. I'm not going to sit around idly as my home is destroyed." Even as he spoke, Sheik's distrustful expression did not change.

"Your words mean little to me," she spat. "I want proof that I don't have to worry about you stabbing either me or Link in the back." Her scarlet eyes narrowed with something almost—_pained_? "I want to know that there won't be a repeat of what happened with my father," she muttered. Both Ganondorf and Link blinked in surprise, but the history teacher recovered quickly and steeled himself. He took a step toward the girl and knelt down on one knee before her, bowing his head.

"I hereby swear that I will follow you to the very end."

Sheik frowned. "I already told you, your words are—"

"No," Ganondorf cut her off. "I'm not asking for your forgiveness or your acceptance. I am, at this very moment, offering you my life. If you should need my assistance on your quest, I shall gladly give it to you. However," his golden eyes struck crimson with earnest, "if you shall deem that my actions are unforgiveable, I willingly offer you my own life. If you find no other use for me, then strike me down here and now. I will do nothing to defend myself. My loyalty and my life rightfully belong to you, Your Highness."

Sheik just stood there, stunned. There was silence.

"…Get up," she said sharply after she recovered from her initial shock. "I'm not in any position to refuse you, and I certainly don't have the right to punish you for your actions. If you really want to help, it will be as an ally, not a servant. Now _get up_," she scowled. Ganondorf blinked.

"Princess Zel—"

"_Don't call me that,_" she snapped, glaring. "My name's Sheik. I don't care about who I may have been in the past—this is who I am _now_, and in case you haven't noticed, I'm not royalty. I'm just a normal girl, so don't you _dare_ think about treating me otherwise."

Ganondorf was speechless.

"…Very well," he eventually said. "Sheik, then. I trust we have reached an agreement…?"

"…Yeah, fine," she said offhandedly. "But one false move and I'll…"

"Of course," Ganondorf said, getting to his feet. "I completely understand." He looked at the two teens. "Now, I imagine that you're here for the key."

"Yeah," Link cut in, getting back to business. "I was told an old man has it, but there's nothing here." At that, Ganondorf laughed good-naturedly.

"Oh, he's here," the teacher said, "that golem probably just scared him off." He raised his voice. "Isn't that right, Sahasrahla?" The two teens turned in surprise to see a short elderly man step out of the shadows.

"Are you so sure, Ganondorf?" the man said challengingly. "Perhaps the monster I was hiding from was you, King of Evil."

The teacher smirked. "And yet here you are," he said. "But enough of this idle chatter. It is my understanding that you have the key…?"

Sahasrahla frowned. "What if I do? Why should I hand it over in your presence? As far as I'm concerned, _you're_ the one who summoned that golem," he said bitingly. Ganondorf scoffed.

"_Please_," he said disdainfully, "You know I wield _dark_ magic. That creature was obviously created by _shadow_ magic."

Link coughed. "Um, excuse me for asking, but, uh, what's the difference?"

Ganondorf sighed. "There's a big difference, boy, and it's one you should learn if you want to know when the magic in your sword will and will not work."

Link's brows furrowed. "My sword?"

The teacher waved his hand impatiently. "Yes, yes. Dark magic is the opposite of light magic. The light imbued in your sword repels creatures of darkness." He continued. "Shadow magic, on the other hand, is the fusion of light and dark, and, as such, will not be repelled by your sword." He looked Link in the eye. "That is why your blade had no effect on the monster." He then turned to Sahasrahla. "And that is also how you know that I couldn't have possibly summoned that thing. I do not have the skill nor the experience in shadow magic necessary to conjure up a monster that big." Sahasrahla frowned in response, but said nothing.

"Shadow magic…" Sheik muttered pensively. Ganondorf glanced at the student.

"…Actually," he said thoughtfully, "you could probably learn to use it. Sheikah are naturally quite good at wielding shadows." He shook his head. "But I digress." He turned to Sahasrahla. "You know that I didn't create that monster. And you also know that if you don't give the Hero of Legend the key, Hyrule will fall to ruin." The elder frowned, but Ganondorf continued. "The Princess of Destiny is here. Your duty to the goddesses can be fulfilled."

Sahasrahla looked at the teacher warily. "Perhaps it's for the best that I overlook the blaring irony of you of all people lecturing me about my duty to the goddesses." The old man sighed and waved Sheik over. "Come here, child. Show me your hand." Sheik glanced over at Link and Ganondorf before hesitantly walking over to the man. She held out her right hand, which glimmered briefly before dimming. Sahasrahla smiled.

"Ah, so it's true." He looked her over briefly. "You look different than you used to, but then again, you usually do." He pulled something out of his pouch. "Here," he said, handing her the key. "Now, after all these years of waiting, I can finally rest."

Sheik blinked. "Thank you," she said, taking the trinket.

The man smiled warmly. "I do not know where the third key is hidden, but I do know that the second can be found deep within the Kokiri Forest, in the Lost Woods."

"The Lost Woods?" Link repeated.

"Damn," Ganondorf scowled. The two teens looked at him in surprise. "The Lost Woods are inaccessible. Once you enter, there's no leaving—not unless the spirits of the forest deem you worthy. Otherwise, you'll remain as a wandering ghost for all eternity."

Link frowned. "I've been in the Lost Woods before—in a few past lives. It's safe as long as you know where to go."

Ganondorf frowned skeptically. "And you do?"

Link scratched his head. "Er, well…I kind of…forget."

Ganondorf sighed. "As I expected."

"Hey, at least it's something!"

"Relax, Link," Sheik said. "We got what we came for, alright? Let's just go back to Castle City and we can plan our next move there."

Link sighed heavily. "Yeah, alright." He looked over towards the mountain trail. "I guess we're going to have to go back down again, huh?"

"Yeah," Sheik muttered. Ganondorf cleared his throat.

"You kids_ do_ realize that I can teleport, right?"

Link and Sheik just stared.

"…I think I love you," Link breathed. The teacher smirked.

"If our business is done here, let's be on our way."

Sheik frowned, but nodded. "Alright, let's go."

* * *

><p>"You're back," the silver-haired woman remarked as Sheik entered through the door.<p>

"Yeah. Sorry, I didn't expect to be out for so long."

Impa frowned. "That's fine. But are you alright?" She looked at the girl closely, noticing the bags under her eyes. "You look exhausted."

Sheik shook her head. "It's no big deal. I'll just sleep it off. G'night mom." Impa's brow furrowed in concern as the girl started walking toward the steps.

"Sheik—"

"Oh, sorry. Imps." She corrected herself. "See ya tomorrow."

Impa frowned, but said nothing else. The blonde-haired girl went up into her bedroom and closed the door behind her. Finally alone, she threw off her jacket, went over to her bed, and collapsed.

* * *

><p>((Edit: 913/15

_**Random note regarding names that you can just skip over**: I really like realistic sounding last names. I've seen other people give characters last names like 'Hylian' or just use a noun that's associated with the character, and that's fine, but I didn't really want to do that here. I tried to come up names that sounded like they could be actual last names, but also had some kind of significance to them-for example, "Cromwell." My intention was to make a name that had relevance to the Sheikah tribe, so I put together the words 'crimson' (the color of a Sheikah's eyes) and 'well' (a reference to the well in Kakariko.) The name was originally going to be 'Crimwell,' but I thought Cromwell sounded stronger. Similarly, Link's last name is a combination of the words 'emerald' and 'light.'_


	4. Puzzle Pieces

_Chapter Four: Puzzle Pieces_

* * *

><p>"Alright class, today we have something very important to discuss…"<p>

Sheik yawned, rubbing her eyes. Ever since her revelation at Death Mountain, her dreams at been filled with images of familiar events and faces—some of which were more…_unpleasant_ than others. While her past memories were undeniable proof of who she really was, they also served to confuse and frustrate her—like trying to solve a puzzle with only a few of the pieces. She had yet to relive enough memories to piece together an entire lifetime—she had several past lives; she had at least been able to figure that much out—but enough for her to recognize a pattern: The kingdom would fall into danger; she would be forced into hiding, kidnapped, turned to stone, or incapacitated in some other way; and a hero would rise up to save the land. It wasn't exactly a pattern that she liked—the idea of helplessness wasn't very appealing—, but it was one nevertheless and she hoped that it would help her piece together what few memories that she had.

…Of course, it wasn't exactly easy having her sleep dominated by visions of the past. Sheik got very little sleep over the weekend, so keeping herself awake during class was proving to be quite a difficult feat.

"…And so I am happy to inform you that, starting today, we will be having a new student. Would you please introduce yourself?"

"Sure thing," Sheik heard the familiar voice say. Her eyes widened. Wait, nononono—

"I'm Link Emeright, I just transferred here."

It took all of Sheik's self control to keep herself from scowling. That idiot, what was he _thinking_?

"Alright Mr. Emeright, why don't you take a seat? Take your pick from any of the empty chairs."

"Sure thing," Link said. To Sheik's dismay, he walked towards the back of the room and sat in the empty seat to her right. He grinned at her, and this time Sheik _did _scowl, glaring at the blonde dangerously. Link only smirked and turned his attention to the board.

When the class was over, Sheik took Link aside.

"What in Farore's name were you thinking," she growled under her breath. "Coming to school here was probably the worst thing you could've done."

Link raised an eyebrow, a cocky grin on his face. "Oh? What if I just missed you so much that I couldn't help myself?"

Sheik's eyes narrowed—it took all her strength to keep herself from strangling him. "Cut the crap, Emeright," she scowled. "What the hell are you doing?"

Link hesitated for a moment, then sighed. "Ganondorf's here, right?" he asked. Sheik frowned.

"…You're worried," she said finally. "You're afraid he might do something to me."

Link sighed. "…It's a possibility," he said. "And it's one I don't want to risk." He looked her in the eye. "I don't you to be with him a single minute without me, okay?"

Sheik frowned. "What, you don't think I can handle myself?" At that, Link winced and she sighed. "Fine," she said, "but the same goes for you. Don't do anything stupid, alright?"

Link smiled. "No promises," he said. Sheik shook her head.

"Hey, you!" The two nearly jumped in surprise. "What the hell is your problem?"

"…Midna?" Sheik stuttered in confusion. The redhead stomped up to the Sheikah, fuming.

"I tried calling you all weekend, but—" When she saw Link, stopped cold.

"…Um, Midna?" Sheik asked after a few seconds, waving a hand in front of the other girl's face.

"Ah—sorry," Midna said, shaking her head as she snapped out of it. Sheik frowned at the girl's strange behavior, but said nothing.

"Midna, this is Link," Sheik said. "Link, Midna."

Link flashed the redhead a charming grin. "Nice to meet you," he said.

Midna smiled back. "You too," she said brightly. She turned to Sheik with an evil glint in her eye. "So _this_ is why you've been ignoring me all weekend. Y'know, if it was anyone else I'd be pissed, but since it's you I guess it's okay." She winked. "After all, it's not everyday that Sheik Cromwell comes into school with a secret boyfriend."

"Ah—It's not like that!" Sheik said quickly, flushing slightly.

Midna waved her hand. "Yeah, yeah," she said disinterestedly. She turned to Link and looked him over. "You seem okay, but for all I know you could be a wolf in sheep's clothing." She stepped up to him, looking him in the eye with a dark smile. "I'll just give you a warning—you hurt Sheik, and you're a dead man, got it?"

Link blinked. "Um, sure," he said.

Midna smiled disarmingly. "Good." She turned to Sheik. "Now, about that—"

"Hey, Sheik!"

Sheik sighed, rubbing her temples. Link coming to Castle City High was already giving her more problems than she needed. Meanwhile, Midna scowled at the newcomer. While Sheik didn't mind Ruto, Midna openly despised the Zora's presence. The two just didn't get along. Ruto did, however, consider herself to be a good acquaintance of Sheik's, so the Sheikah shouldn't have been surprised when she made her way over to them.

"I'm leaving," Midna muttered. "See ya, Sheik."

"Yeah, see ya," she responded. She turned to greet Ruto.

"Sheik, what's this?" The Zora asked. "I didn't know that you already knew the new guy."

Sheik sighed tiredly. "Yeah, we just met recently," she said. "Although I was surprised to hear that he was transferring here," she muttered somewhat bitterly.

Link ignored the blonde girl. "Hi, I'm Link," he said, extending a hand. "Nice to meet you."

Ruto giggled. "Oooh, he's cute," she gushed to Sheik. "Is he taken?"

"Of course not," the Sheikah said, "who in their right mind would want to be with _him_?"

Link clutched his heart melodramatically. "Oh, Sheik!" He exclaimed, "You wound me!"

"Stop being such a clown," the Sheikah muttered. Link only grinned.

Ruto's smile grew wider. "Oh, _I _see how it is," she said mischievously. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me," she said, giving Sheik a wink. "I'll be sure to tell everyone that he's unavailable."

"Ruto—"

"Later, Sheik!" The Zora called out, already walking away. "And you too, _Link_," she all but purred.

Sheik pinched the bridge of her nose. "_Great_."

Link smirked. "Secret boyfriend, huh?"

Sheik glared.

"Shut up and get to class, Emeright."

Link's grin only widened.

"Whatever you say, _Your Highness_."

* * *

><p>"…And for homework tonight, I expect you to read pages 50-71 by tomorrow." There was a collective groan as Mr. Dragmire merely smiled. "Oh, Ms. Cromwell and Mr. Emeright—I'd like to see you both after class." Sheik sighed as she began to gather her things. He'd probably want to talk about finding the next key. She had done some research about the Lost Woods over the weekend, but hadn't found anything useful; just a couple of myths and urban legends—stuff she already knew.<p>

As soon as the rest of the class had filtered out of the room, Ganondorf closed the door.

"Now, about our little problem," the teacher said, "I was looking through a few of my spell books, and I believe I may have found something useful."

"Okay…" Link prompted, motioning for him to continue.

"A tracking spell. If it works, it should take us directly to where the key is being hidden."

Sheik noticed the teacher's hesitation. "What's the catch?" she asked.

Ganondorf sighed. "It'll take a few days to prepare," he said. "Aside from that, we have no idea whether it'll work within the Lost Woods. There is a possibility that there will be protective wards in place to keep trespassers out."

"Great," Link muttered. "We've only got one lead, and we're not even sure if it'll work."

"It's worth a shot," Sheik said. "While he's working on that, why don't you see if you can remember anything? It'd be best if we had a plan B to fall back on."

Link frowned, but nodded. "Alright, I'll try my best." He looked at Ganondorf. "When will your spell be ready?"

"Five days at most," the larger man said. "We can head out at the end of the week."

"Alright," Sheik said, nodding. "So for now…"

Ganondorf cleared his throat, and the two teens glanced at him. "Er, Ms. Cromwell, I've given it a bit of thought, and I think it's in everyone's best interests that you learn how to use magic."

"Magic?" Link repeated, raising an eyebrow skeptically.

"Indeed," the teacher said, nodding. "From what I saw on Death Mountain this past weekend, you seem to have some combat skill, but up against the opponents we'll have to face…" Sheik frowned at his hesitation, so he went on. "…your talents will be nearly useless. Without magic, you'll either be forced to rely on Mr. Emeright and myself or to remain here like…" he trailed off.

"…Like a damsel in distress," Sheik finished bitterly. She sighed. "Up against that golem, I realized that too. There was no way my martial arts training alone would help me against something that big." She looked up at the teacher seriously. "I don't want to sit around here while Link is off risking his life somewhere. And I certainly don't want to leave him alone with you. If there's anything you can teach me that will help me be more useful in a fight, then I'm willing to learn."

Ganondorf nodded approvingly. "Good. Now that that's settled, how about—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up a minute," Link cut in. "For the record, I don't care whether or not Sheik learns magic or whatever. That's her choice, and that's fine." His eyes narrowed. "What I'm not okay with is the idea of the two of you being alone together. I don't want any of this stuff going on without me there."

Sheik looked like she was about to say something, but Ganondorf responded first. "Of course," he said. "I see no problem with that, especially since it must be difficult trusting me after our…_history_." The teacher frowned thoughtfully. "Speaking of which, how much have the two of you been able to remember so far? The more you know, the better the chance we have of succeeding."

Sheik shook her head. "Not very much. Since Saturday, I've gotten a few glimpses and pieces, but that's about it."

"Yeah, it's like that with me, too," Link said. "I've had a few dreams, but not much aside from that." He frowned thoughtfully. "Although I sometimes get a few flashes whenever something similar happens—like déjà vu."

Sheik looked at him curiously. "Really?"

Link nodded. "Yeah—it was like that when we first met and our hands touched—like that wasn't the first time something like that happened."

"Hmm…" The teacher frowned thoughtfully. He sighed. "Well, I suppose it isn't much, but I'm sure more memories will come to both of you later on. We'll just have to wait and see." Ganondorf leaned back in his seat and looked between the two teens, frowning pensively. Sheik glanced at the older man and raised an eyebrow.

"What is it?" she asked. The teacher shook his head.

"It's nothing, really," he said. "It's just that…Link and I have the same name and appearance as we did in our previous lives." Ganondorf glanced at Sheik. "But you…" He frowned. "You would think that you'd be the same way, or at least that you'd be royalty or something. Especially considering that this is one of the few countries that still has a monarchy…" He shook his head. "Whatever the reason, it doesn't matter now. The important thing is that the three of us have located one another, and now that we have the first key, we're one step closer to defeating our opponent and saving Hyrule."

Sheik frowned. "…That brings up another point," she said. "Who exactly _are _we fighting against? I don't like the idea of battling a nameless enemy whose motives are unknown."

Link shook his head. "Farore didn't tell me much about them." He frowned. "The only reason why we know he or she exists is because of the monsters that came after us."

Ganondorf sighed. "The one we're fighting is a man called Amora. He is a self-proclaimed follower of Demise—an ancient demon."

"Demise?" Link said. "How come I've never heard of him?"

"Not many people have. He was destroyed by the Hero of the Skies thousands of years ago."

"…So what is Amora after?" Sheik asked. "Revenge?"

Ganondorf shook his head. "Of course not. That man is still blindly loyal to his master. He seeks to destroy Demise's rival, a lesser goddess by the name of Hylia, and use her power to revive his master."

Link frowned. "Is that even possible?" he asked.

The teacher nodded gravely. "Yes. He is convinced that Hylia has taken on a mortal form, and in order to vanquish her he seeks out the shards of an ancient but powerful artifact."

Sheik frowned. "Artifact…?"

"An ancient dagger fabled to have been created by Demise. If the stories are true, then it should have the power to vanquish beings of light." Ganondorf's lips straightened into a line. "That is why he cannot be allowed to succeed—if Amora is able to unite the pieces and bring back Demise, Hyrule will dissolve into chaos."

"Wait a minute," Sheik said, eyes narrowed. "How do you know all this?"

The history teacher sighed. "I know because Amora came to me and requested my assistance. I turned him down, and he wisely left."

"You knew his intentions, yet you let him go?"

Ganondorf frowned. "At the time, I didn't think that he was being serious. I had figured that he was just some fanatic with wild fantasies. I only realized that he was actually capable of performing magic and following through on his plan when it was too late."

Link frowned thoughtfully. "…Do you really think he can succeed?"

"I have no doubt in my mind that he can, and that he'll do everything in his power to ensure that he will." The teacher looked at the boy pointedly. "So now you know it's so important that you retrieve the Master Sword as soon as possible. The danger is real, and we have little time to lose." He turned to Sheik. "I'll work on setting my spell, and in the meantime we can work on your magic." He looked at Link. "You should focus on honing your sword skills."

Link snorted. "Yeah, 'cause it's not like I have centuries worth of experience or anything."

Ganondorf ignored him. "Come back here tomorrow—we'll work on your magic then."

* * *

><p>"I guess we have some time to kill," Link said as they walked out the door. "Y'know, I think it would be best if we OH SHI—" He ducked behind Sheik frantically.<p>

"What are you _doing_?" the Sheikah said indignantly. The boy continued hiding behind her.

"Don't let him see me!"

"What? Who?" Sheik tried to turn, but he clutched her shoulders tightly, keeping her facing the opposite direction.

"Just hold still!" Link said. "If he finds me, then—"

"Hey, Link!" The two looked up to see a red-haired boy approaching them.

"…Hey, Mido," Link said as he reluctantly stepped away from his hiding place behind Sheik's back.

"You transferred to Castle City, too? Haha, now we can catch up on the good old days! Wow, I just never would've imagined that I'd see you again like this. This is great!"

"Yeah…" Link mumbled. "_Great_…"

"Hey," Mido said, looking Sheik over, "who's this?"

Link sighed. "Mido, this is Sheik. Sheik, this is Mido," he said, lacking enthusiasm. Mido didn't seem to notice.

"Nice to meet you!" Mido grinned.

"The same," Sheik said. Mido turned to Link.

"Well, it was good seeing you again. I'll see you later—we'll have to meet up sometime!"

"Yeah…of course…" Link slumped as the boy walked away.

"…What was that about?" Sheik asked, raising an eyebrow.

Link sighed. "Mido used to go to my old school. He…_we_ didn't get along very well." Sheik frowned, unconvinced. "Look, can we just drop it?" Link said impatiently. "We've got things to do, right?"

Sheik wasn't satisfied, but didn't push the subject. "Alright," she said. She sighed. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then?"

Link frowned curiously. "Huh? You're not going straight home?"

"No," she said patiently.

"But…Ganon's still here…"

Sheik raised an eyebrow. "Relax. He's probably on his way home as we speak. Besides," she said, holding up her arm, "you're the reason why I need to stay."

"…Huh?" Link's eyebrow furrowed in confusion.

Sheik sighed. "You busted up my bracer the other day with your sword. I have to go and get it repaired." She started to walk the other way. "See you tomorrow, Link."

* * *

><p>"…You're wasting time, you know," the voice said. Midna shook her head.<p>

"I realize that," she said sharply, "so you don't have to keep reminding me." She sighed, hugging her knees even more tightly. "I—I knew it would be hard, but…now that I finally have to do it…" Midna bit her lip in frustration. "And to make things worse, the fact that _he_'s here is…" She shook her head helplessly. "I know I have to, and I'm going to, but…I don't have to like it, y'know?"

The other voice sighed. "I can't pretend to understand what you're going through, Midna, but you know you're not alone, right? I'll still be here if you need me."

Midna smiled weakly. "Yeah, thanks. I—I'm sorry. It's just—I can't help but imagine the pained look on her face when the time comes—I can still clearly remember the day when I…I…" She trailed off, unable to finish the thought, and took a deep breath. "…She looked so shocked, like I had betrayed them somehow." Midna chuckled sadly. "I guess in a way I had." She shook her head. "I can only thank the goddesses that I didn't have the chance to get as close to _him_ as the last time, or else I don't know what I'd do."

"…It'll be alright," the voice said finally. "I'm sorry it had to happen like this."

Midna sighed. "It—It's fine. It's not your fault—it's mine. I let it get to this point." She looked down. "I made a promise," she said after a brief silence. "I'm not going to go back on that just because I'm having second thoughts. I've been putting this off for years, but now…" She looked up, her eyes burning with a newfound determination. "Now I'm going to do what I should have done all along."


	5. The Guide

Chapter Five: _The Guide_

* * *

><p>"When using magic, you always have to be sure that <em>you<em> are the one controlling _it_—don't let it overcome you. Always use it sparingly and never attempt spells that you aren't sure of." Ganondorf narrowed his eyes at his student. "Is that clear?"

"Of course," Sheik scoffed. For some reason, his lecture felt degrading, like he was going on about things that even the simplest of minds already knew. She must have been able to use magic in a past life—everything the man was teaching her felt old.

…Yet, at the same time, she wasn't actually able to remember how to use magic. So while Ganondorf's lessons felt pointless and boring, Sheik also knew that she wouldn't be able to use magic again without them. …Needless to say, she was not happy with her predicament.

"Alright," the teacher continued, "the first thing you have to do is focus on your internal energy. Spells come from the energy you have stored within, so you should always take care to avoid draining yourself."

"Right," Sheik said. Ganondorf nodded.

"Now, the most common uses of shadow magic are manipulating shadows—getting them to move at your will—and blending into the shadows. When mastered, these two skills can make for a very formidable magic wielder." He glanced at her. "It is said the most members of the Shadow Tribe also possessed the ability to see through illusions. I have no way of knowing whether that is true or not, and even if I did, I wouldn't know how to teach it to you anyways." He cleared his throat. "In any case, while blending into the shadows can be a useful skill, I have reservations about teaching you something like that when you aren't ready. So we'll begin with manipulating shadows. If done correctly, you should be able to cause a shadow to move and give it a material form."

The teacher moved his desk lamp and directed the light at Sheik. "Try it now," he said. "Touch the shadows cast off by your form and focus on moving them." Sheik hesitantly kneeled on the ground and put her hand on the floor, focusing on the shadow.

"…Is there anything else I should know?" Sheik asked after a few minutes. She had been concentrating on the task, but nothing happened. The teacher frowned.

"I wouldn't know. Unfortunately, my knowledge of shadow magic is severely limited." Ganondorf sighed. "It's entirely possible that you're not meant to do this after all." He turned the lamp off and stood. Sheik frowned, but didn't say anything. The teacher continued. "My tracking spell is progressing nicely, so we should be able to move on Sunday."

"Alright." Sheik paused. "Have you seen Link anywhere? He said he'd be here today."

The teacher shook his head. "I haven't seen him since class. Perhaps he's out practicing with his sword—it'll be good for him to get some training in. That boy's too reckless for his own good…I'm surprised he's managed to survive this long without getting hurt. …Although I suppose it's not a bad trait for a hero. His insanely good luck borders on divine intervention, but I guess that's not too surprising consid**think fast!**" Sheik turned just in time to see the apple sailing through the air right at her.

Sheik opened her eyes and blinked. The apple was suspended in front of her by a thin, long, black spike that seemed to have emerged from the ground. Sheik's eyes narrowed and the spike moved over a nearby desk, depositing the apple onto the table and slinking back into the ground.

"I…I've done that before," Sheik said.

"Just as I suspected," Ganondorf said, nodding. "You've used this kind of magic before, in a past life." Sheik said nothing. Now that she'd done it, she definitely knew that she'd used shadow magic before. …But _why_? What use could the Princess of Hope and Light have for such a dishonorable power?

"I think that concludes our lesson for today," the teacher said. "Try to get some practice if you can, but be sure not to be seen."

"Right," Sheik said distractedly. She was about to reach for the door when it suddenly burst open. Link stumbled into the room, obviously out of breath.

"Link?" Sheik said, surprised.

"Need…help," the boy said between pants. "Can't…find…"

"Out with it, boy," Ganondorf said impatiently.

"M…my sword…" Link coughed. "…I can't find it," he muttered.

"_What_?" The teacher demanded. "Where could you _possibly_ have put it?"

"I don't know," Link said, shaking his head. "As soon as I realized it was missing, I checked everywhere."

"How could you have been so careless? You _do _realize that if someone finds that, then…" Sheik sighed at the teacher's tirade, but as soon as she opened her mouth to interrupt, she felt a buzzing in her pocket. She pulled out her phone and was surprised to see an unknown number.

"That's strange," she muttered, opening the message. Meanwhile, Ganondorf was still lecturing Link.

"...and even if we _do _retrieve it, we'll still have to go through the trouble of explaining why your keychain magically turns into a sword and back again. Don't you realize what a problem you've created?"

"Of course I do!" Link defended. "I know it's bad, but don't you think that instead of taking it out on me we should actually, oh, I don't know…_look for it_? It's not like I _wanted_ to lose the most valuable item I own!"

Ganondorf opened his mouth to retort, but Sheik interrupted.

"Um, guys? I think I found Link's sword," she said, holding up her phone. The message on the screen glared at them in bright text.

_If your friend wants to see his little "trinket" again, he'll come to the spring in Ordon._

* * *

><p>"Uh, Sheik? What are you doing?"<p>

Sheik didn't glance up. "Texting Imp—my mom," she corrected. "I have to tell her I'll be late tonight." The girl snorted. "I didn't think I'd be off on a wild cuccoo chase," she muttered sourly.

Link sighed. "Yeah, sorry about that." He looked up at the teacher in front of them. "Hey, Ganny! We almost there yet?"

"Do you not understand the concept of patience," the teacher seethed. "We'll be there shortly, so be quiet." The three of them were currently walking through the town of Ordon on their way to the spring. Sheik had lived in Castle City for most of her life, so she couldn't help but look around at the small village. Ordon was considerably smaller than Castle City. There were a few small shops and businesses within the town, but on the outskirts there were also small farms and such. Or so Sheik had heard. Ganondorf had taken the liberty of teleporting them, so she wouldn't have known.

The spiritual springs in Hyrule were known for their soothing properties. Some claimed that one could hear the voices of the goddesses when they stood in them. The calmness of the springs and their renown caused them to be popular tourist spots. However, the spring in Ordon was much smaller and less known than the other ones scattered around Hyrule, so visitors weren't nearly as common.

The trio continued walking for some time until Ganondorf stopped them a few blocks from the spring's entrance.

"Now," the teacher said, "we'll have to be careful since we don't know who we're dealing with. For all we know, we could be faced with the agents of Amora himself." He looked between the two teens. "I'll go in first. If there turns out to be some kind of trap, then leave. Is that clear?"

Link was about to protest, but Sheik cut him off. "Yes," she said.

Ganondorf nodded. "Good." When the three approached the spring, it was completely empty.

"Hm…" Ganondorf frowned. "Wait here," he said. The teacher walked into the spring, stepping into the shallow water testily.

"It's alright you two," he said after a few minutes. The teens followed him in, taking in their surroundings warily. The spring water was cool against their ankles, and the spring itself had a calming air about it. The water was clear, though in the light it almost looked a bit gold. Ganondorf glanced around. "Now, where's—"

The three froze at the figure that calmly stood at the entrance of the spring. He was short, and the upper part of his face was covered by his green hood. His clothes were relatively normal—a hoodie and cargo shorts—, but there was something about him that emanated an air of mischief. H said nothing, only smirking as he casually withdrew his hand from his pocket and held it up for the trio to see. There, dangling freely from his grip and shining a little in the light, was a small keychain.

"You—!" Link started. "Give that back!"

"Link," Sheik said, gripping his arm tightly. "Wait." The cocky smirk never left the thief's face as he tilted his head curiously. He took a step back, away from the spring, and ran.

"Go, now!" The two teens exchanged glances before taking off after their teacher. The chase continued for several minutes, and the trio soon found themselves on a trail in the Ordona woods surrounding the spring. They continued chasing after the thief until he ducked off the trail and into the forest.

Ganondorf stopped at the treeline, halting the two teens.

"How did he…" the teacher muttered.

"What is it?" Link asked impatiently. "We're losing him!"

Ganondorf frowned. "Ordona Forest, if you go in far enough, leads directly to the Lost Woods." His brow furrowed in thought. "He knows what we're after. The question is, what is his goal in leading us here?"

"Regardless," Sheik said, "I think we should follow him. It's better than waiting until your spell is ready, and he still has Link's sword."

"That would be great," Link said bitterly, "if we could still see him. But thanks to you guys, we've lost him."

"Not quite," Sheik said. "See that?" She pointed to something on the ground. Upon closer examination, Link saw that there were some orange rocks— the kind used in goldfish bowls—scattered across the dirt. "I think he's leaving a trail. He _wants_ us to follow him."

Link frowned. "But…what if we get lost?"

"It'll be fine," Ganondorf said. "If something goes awry, I'll teleport us out."

Link still seemed unconvinced, but nodded anyway. "Okay. Let's go."

The trio made their way into the woods, following the trail of small rocks as they went. They walked in silence for several minutes.

"So…" Link said finally, "nice weather we're having, huh?"

"…You're bored, aren't you?" Sheik said, raising an eyebrow.

"…Yes," Link sighed reluctantly. Sheik rolled her eyes.

"Of course. Well, I guess it's an achievement that you lasted _this_ long, at least."

"…Hey!"

"Actually," Ganondorf cut in, gaining both of their attention, "there's something I've been meaning to ask you, Emeright."

Link blinked, surprised. "Uh, sure."

"You're new to Castle City, right?"

"Yeah…" Link said, not sure where this was going.

"If you don't mind my asking, where exactly are you staying?"

Link shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm, er, actually staying at a tavern in town."

"_What_?" Sheik said. "If you need a place to stay, you don't have to pay to sleep at a tavern. I'm sure Impa wouldn't mind—"

"It's fine," Link reassured quickly. "I'm not actually paying—Telma's letting me stay there if I help her out with a few odd jobs every once in a while. It's fine, really," he repeated. Sheik frowned, but didn't push it. Link snorted. "'Sides, I doubt your mom'll want me hanging around your place." He frowned. "Um, Sheik?"

"Yes?"

"…Why do you call your mom Impa?" Link asked. "Um, I mean, you don't have to answer if you don't want to—" he added quickly.

Sheik shook her head. "It's fine. I…I don't really know why, to be honest. She's always insisted that I call her by her name, but she never tells me why." She gave a bitter laugh. "It's almost as if she's afraid to think of me as her child."

"…Oh." Link rubbed his neck awkwardly. "Uh, sorry for being so nosy. I was just curious…"

"I don't mind," Sheik said. "It's not like it matters anyways." She glanced over at the boy, who seemed to be feeling guilty about asking the question. Sheik sighed.

"But anyways," she said, "how do you like Castle City so far?"

Link smiled, seeming relieved at the change of subject. "It's great," he said. "I've lived in Kakariko my entire life, so I've never been to such a big city. It's thrilling, and I've met some pretty great people there, too."

"Mm…" Sheik murmured in acknowledgement. Link noticed her lack of interest in the topic, so he switched gears.

"So, Sheik," he said, "how's the magic coming along?"

Sheik sighed. "…It's going fine," she said. She wasn't sure if it was a lie or not.

"Can I see?" Link asked.

"Let's save demonstrations for later," Ganondorf cut in. Sheik silently thanked him. "We should be nearing the Lost Woods soon—we'll have to pay special attention to where we're going."

"…Right." The trio continued to walk in silence as the atmosphere slowly began to grow more and more ominous. The forest itself seemed to grow darker the farther they went in.

"…I really hope we're going the right way," Link said. His two companions, who were busy trying to locate the trail of rocks, ignored him.

"Fine, whatever," Link muttered. "Great Hero of Legend over here, but no, just ignore me, that's fine too."

No response. Link sighed and continued to follow the pair along their path.

Before long, the trio reached a clearing. The sound of a shrill instrument playing a bouncy tune filled their ears. In the middle of the clearing, there was a small girl seated upon a stump. She was green—all of her clothes were green as well as her hair, and her hands held an object up to her lips. Her face was childish and innocent, but her posture had an air of maturity. Overall, she was quite a strange sight.

…But it wasn't the girl they were looking at. Instead, their eyes were focused on the figure in the green hoodie standing at the girl's side. Even at their distance, they could see him smile in greeting. The boy reached up, taking the hood, and pulled it down to reveal his face. Link's eyes widened.

"Hello, Link."


	6. Faded Pages

Chapter Six: Faded Pages

* * *

><p>Link opened his mouth, but couldn't find the words to speak. Sheik was tense while Ganondorf remained relaxed. The thief quirked his head curiously.<p>

"What, surprised to see me?" He spoke with a grin.

Link frowned, finally regaining the ability to speak. "What are you doing here, Mido?"

Mido ignored the question, instead taking out the small charm from his hoodie pocket. "I bet you'll be wanting this, right?" Link's eyes narrowed at the sight of the sword. "Here," Mido tossed the trinket to him.

"What's the deal here, Mido?" Link asked after a quick examination of his stolen charm. "What's the point of bringing me all the way out here just to give me back my sword?"

"...He did it at my request." Link was surprised to hear the green haired girl speak up. She looked around 10 or 11, but her expression gave him the impression that she had a wisdom beyond her years. She wore all green, and...she seemed familiar, somehow. "Mido brought you here because I asked him to." She smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry about your sword, though. I didn't ask him to do that."

Mido snorted. "He had it coming." He grinned playfully at Link, who was still trying to put together what was going on.

The girl addressed him. "It's nice to see you again, but you probably don't remember me, do you?" She smiled. "My name is Saria. We used to be best friends...but that was a long time ago."

"Saria…" Link murmured. It was familiar… Soft images of a gentle forest and glowing fairies filtered through his mind. "...I...I remember. I was the boy without a fairy. Everyone else made fun of me-but not you. Never you." He looked up at her. "You've been around this whole time?"

Saria nodded. "Yes. Mido, too."

Link's brow furrowed as he glanced at the other boy, studying him. "But he's…"

"All grown up?" The redhead gave a sardonic smile. "Yeah, well, you know what they say about Kokiri that leave the forest." Link's eyes widened in understanding as the boy continued. "Kokiri never age...so long as they never leave to protection of the Great Deku Tree."

"But-why?" Link blurted. There was no way Mido would choose to give up his youth on his own-

"I-I asked him to," Saria said quietly. "I wanted him to watch over you-to make sure nothing happened to you."

Link looked over to the boy to see if she was telling the truth, but he was looking down at the ground quietly. "You...all this time…"

It was at this point that Ganondorf cleared his throat. "As touching as this is, you still haven't told us why you've brought us here."

Mido snorted. "Way to ruin a moment, Pinnochio."

Ganondorf snarled. "Listen here, _boy_-"

"Of course," Saria said, stepping in between the two egos. "It would be remiss of us to make you go all the way out here for no reason." She looked up at the teacher. "You're looking for the keys, right? There's one here in the forest. But you'll need a guide." She gestured to Mido. "Mido will lead you to the place where the key is hidden."

Mido grinned at the trio. "I'm ready when you are."

* * *

><p>"Here we are," Mido said. "This is as far as I'll go."<p>

The four of them were currently standing before a large stone entrance covered in vines. Mido had a hand on his hip as he stared up at the imposing structure while Link stood beside him with an uncharacteristically serious air. The other two in the group stood a few paces behind them, relatively calm in their body language but ready to take action at a moment's notice.

"Thanks," Link said. He paused. "Um, can I ask you a question?"

"Shoot."

"Why did you do it? Why'd you leave the forest? You could've just told Saria no."

"...You're right. I could have." Mido turned his head over his shoulder to look at Link and smiled. "But I wouldn't. Never in a million years. I...I've lived a long time, Link. And I've realized a couple of things." He sighed. "I thought I liked Saria before. But...I've come to see that what I thought I felt for her was nothing compared to the bonds true friends have. And… I also realized that when you left the forest...it made me sad." He looked up. "So...that's why, when she asked me to look after you, I couldn't say no."

Link was speechless. "Mido, I-"

"And if you tell anyone, I'll wring your neck, you hear?"

Link smiled. Same old Mido… "Of course."

Now it was Mido's turn to smile. "Good. I'll be leaving, then. Don't die."

Link laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I'll try. It's kind of my job not to."

"I mean it, Link," Mido said seriously. He turned to leave. "Later, dweeb."

"Yeah…" Link sighed and turned to the ominous looking entrance. "So this is it, huh?"

Ganondorf looked up at the sky. "It's getting late. We'd better get a move on."

Sheik sighed. "I'm sure I'll have a lot of fun trying to explain this one to Impa." And with that, the trio entered the temple.

* * *

><p>"First dungeon, huh?" Link said, looking around. "For some reason, I was expecting something...darker." The corridor they were in had white marble walls, and light filtered in from the windows in the ceiling.<p>

"Don't jinx it," Sheik muttered. She glanced at their teacher, who was currently studying the walls very carefully. "...What are you doing?"

"Examining the architecture," Ganondorf said. "It would be difficult to determine the exact time period in which this was built, but by carefully examining the structure, it may be possible to conclude-"

"Um," Link interrupted, "what _are_ you doing? Why is that important?"

Ganondorf frowned. "I _am_ a history teacher, after all. Do you really think I would pursue a career I had no interest in?"

"Great," Link said, sighing, "the Great King of Evil and Darkness has been reduced to...a _nerd_."

The teacher snorted. "You're just as immature as I remember you," he sneered.

"Well, you're just as ugl-"

"Hey, there's something up ahead," Sheik cut in, somewhat impatiently. The two males exchanged a glare before focusing their attention to what was in front of them.

The trio entered a large round room. There was a large alcove on the other side that had a door, and the room itself was empty save for a single suit of armor in the center.

Link walked up to the thing, examining it. "So, is this some kind of puzzle, or…" He reached out-

"_Don't-!_"

"Eh?" Link glanced at the armor he had just poked. "Pfft, relax. It's not like it's going to-" The boy leaped back out of the way just in time to avoid the deadly swing of the Iron Knuckle's axe, skidding to a stop by his companions. "_Now_ I remember how these things work again."

"Imbecile," Ganondorf muttered. "Stay out of the way and let me deal with it." The man raised his hand and shot out a bolt of dark energy, which the Iron Knuckle easily deflected back at its caster with a swing of its axe, knocking the Gerudo back off his feet.

"You'd think that he'd finally learn that tennis isn't his strong suit," Link said, grinning as he sprinted up to the monster. The Iron Knuckle swung, but Link rolled underneath the attack and took the opportunity to slash at the monster's back. It grunted in pain and spun around on the boy, attacking again, but Link avoided the blow and used the opportunity to land another hit. The fight continued like this-the Iron Knuckle would attack, Link would dodge and counter-for a few minutes until Link went to go in for another strike when the monster unexpectedly swung its axe in a full circle. The hero was caught off-guard and was tossed aside by the massive stroke.

"My turn," Ganondorf said, eyes narrowed. He summoned a dark blade in his hand and sprinted up to the monster, slicing at it with deadly force. The Iron Knuckle blocked the blow with its own weapon and retaliated with a swing of its own, forcing Ganondorf back. The Dark King blasted the monster with a wave of dark energy, causing it to stumble backward. The Gerudo wasted no time in leaping forward with his blade, brutally impaling the monster to the ground. The Iron Knuckle grunted in surprise before falling lifelessly still where it lay.

Ganondorf sighed. "Thank Nayru that's over," he muttered. The fatal blade faded away and his shoulders slumped with relief when-

"_Look out!_"

Ganondorf was caught by the force of the swing. He was thrown into the wall with a loud crack, caught off-guard by the monster's surprise attack.

"Ganon!" Link called. He rushed over to the older man desperately. Meanwhile, the Iron Knuckle stood, drawing its weapon into a ready position. Its heavy armor had fallen off, allowing for lighter, faster movement. The Iron Knuckle walked to where Link and Ganondorf were, brandishing its axe dangerously. Link stood in front of the fallen Gerudo, raising his sword in a hesitantly defensive stance. The Iron Knuckle raised its axe.

Suddenly, the monster let out a surprised grunt of pain. Behind him, Sheik was was kneeling on one knee with a hand on the ground. There was a dark black pool around her hand that stretched all the way to the Iron Knuckle and protruded from the ground in long, thin spikes that pierced the monster. Sheik's eyes narrowed and the spikes sharply removed themselves from the creature, causing it to let out another howl of pain. The Iron Knuckle angrily whirled around and ran to the Sheikah, swinging its axe at her with alarming speed. Sheik avoided the sweep before sending another volley of shadows at the monster. The Iron Knuckle dodged a few of the blows, but many of the spikes struck true, angering it even more. It swung again and again, but Sheik deftly avoided its quick blows, attacking with the spikes each time. Enraged, the Iron Knuckle raised its axe, only to let out another yell of pain. Behind him, Link withdrew his sword from the monster's back. He grinned and jumped out of the way of the monster's next swing. Sheik's spikes struck the unprotected back of the monster, and when its attention snapped to her, Link took the opportunity to deal another blow. The monster glared between the two, undoubtedly furious. Sheik struck again and Link followed up with another attack.

The Iron Knuckle lashed out, swinging its axe in a full arch and knocking Link to the side.

The hero cried out, and Sheik rushed to his aid. The monster walked up to the two and the Sheikah sent out another volley of spikes, but the Iron Knuckle knocked them out of the way. It lifted its axe…

...only to fall to its knees as the electrical energy painfully surged through its body. It turned its head weakly to see the smoking hand of the Gerudo King. The monster tried to move when it suddenly coughed out some blood. The Sheikah had impaled it with her shadow spike, her hand all the way up to its chest. The Iron Knuckle coughed weakly before falling limply to the ground and fading to black dust, its armor landing onto the floor with a resounding clang.

At that moment, Sheik fell to her knees in exhaustion. Link, who had just gotten up, went to her urgently.

"Are you okay?" He asked, clutching her shoulders.

"M'fine," she said. "Check-Ganondorf-"

"I'm alright," the teacher said with a cough as he strode over to the students. He glanced at the girl. "You overworked yourself," he said disapprovingly.

Sheik snorted. "Not much of a choice," she muttered. "I'll be fine."

"Regardless, try not to use your magic so much."

"Sure, whatever."

"Um," Link said, "I didn't know you could do that."

"Neither did I until about an hour ago." Sheik glanced up at the boy. It was strange...he was almost like a completely different person when he was fighting. Now he was warm and amiable, but before he had been almost...feral. Dangerous.

"Hey, looks like we get a reward," Ganondorf muttered sarcastically. Inside the alcove by the door, a treasure chest had appeared.

"Sweet! Here, I'll get it," Link said. He jogged over to the chest.

"Wait, there might be a-"

_Clank._

"-trap."

"...Crap." Link examined the bars separating him from his two companions. He shook them, which resulted in-nothing.

"Dinssake, boy, don't you ever _think_?" The teacher said, striding over.

Link rubbed the back of his neck. "Eh-heh…"

"Hey, Ganondorf!" Sheik called. "There's another door over here." She walked over to where the other two were. "The two of us can try going that way." She glanced at Link. "You stay here."

"What?" He stammered. "No way!" He gestured over his shoulder. "Look, I can get through the door here. We'll just split up, okay?"

Ganondorf frowned. "We'll do no such thing. You'll remain here until we get back."

Link stepped away from the bars, a look of defiance on his face. "You can't stop me."

"Emeright…" The teacher started dangerously.

"Relax. If we're lucky, we'll be able to meet up later on."

"Link…" Sheik began, speaking with a hint of warning but also obvious concern.

"I can handle myself, alright?" He said, smiling reassuringly.

The teacher sighed. "Fine," he said. "Have it your way." He looked at the boy meaningfully. "But don't do anything stupid."

Link broke into a grin. "Alright!" he said, striding to the door. "Just you wait, we'll be-"

"Um, Link?" Sheik interrupted.

"Hm?"

Ganondorf coughed. "Shouldn't you get what's in the chest first?"

Link glanced at the chest and flushed. "Um, right." He opened the box and found a key, which he pocketed before turning to his companions. "I'll see you guys soon. I promise." He opened the door. "Wish me luck!"

Sheik sighed as the boy exited the room. "We'd better get going, too." The two walked to the other door.

"You ready?" Ganondorf asked.

Sheik exhaled. Ganondorf was right-Link was reckless. But the best they could do for him was to try to meet up with him again.

"Let's just get this over with," she muttered. The teacher opened the door.


	7. Reflection

7 - "Reflection"

* * *

><p>"Alright," Link said as the door shut behind him. "Now…"<p>

He looked up, examining the corridor. It was long and narrow, and at the end was a single door. Seeing no other place to go, Link walked down the long hallway and examined it.

"Hm…" Link pulled out the key from his pocket and stuck it into the keyhole. The door clicked and opened. He tried to pull the key out, but it wouldn't budge.

"What the…?" He pulled it harder, and this time it came free with a loud snap. He held the piece up to his face and laughed nervously. "I really hope I didn't need that…" He pocketed the broken key before sighing and stepping into the next room.

The first thing that Link noticed was the fog. It was pure white and annoyingly thick, preventing him from seeing the walls of the room. He looked up, but was unable to see how far the ceiling went.

"Great," he said, "another trap―?" He turned back to the door, but it was no longer there. "Of course," he muttered. Seeing no other options, he stepped forward and heard a splash. The blond looked down and saw that the floor was covered by shallow water.

"I should have known…" He sighed and began to walk.

He started to see something through the mist. "Hm?" Link walked forward and saw a small black island in the middle of the room. On the small patch of dirt was a dark tree. The branches were bare, and it seemed to be devoid of any life. It was―

"Link!"

"DIE!"

"It's using your moves, Link! Defeat yourself!"

"―Din's Fire!"

"HYAAAAAAA!"

Link stumbled back as the flash of images ended. He fell to his knees in the shallow water. "Holy…" he breathed. He hated it when it was like this―he would get a few images, but nothing substantial. The memories he just had filled him with different emotions―confusion, desperation, determination―but they were to scattered for him to understand what was going on. All he could really tell was that he had been a room like this before―and that it had been dangerous.

"It just keeps getting better and better," he muttered. Link sighed and looked around for anything. There didn't seem to be any danger at the moment, but―

"Huh?" Something strange caught his eye. In the water, he could clearly see the reflection of the tree. But…his own reflection wasn't there.

"What…is this?" Link stared at the water, perplexed, then shook his head. "Must be some kind of spell to screw with me or something." He looked up. "Aaaand there's the exit." He stood. "The sooner I'm out of this place, the better."

* * *

><p>"That was a bit underwhelming," Sheik remarked as she and Ganondorf neared the door. They had left the room where they had split up with Link, only to encounter a smaller wandering monster―which Ganondorf had easily felled with a weak blast of magic.<p>

"Mm." The teacher put a hand on the door and glanced at the girl. "Ready?"

Sheik rolled her eyes. "You don't have to ask me that every time we open a door."

"We don't know what we're walking into," the teacher reasoned. "But as you wish." He opened the door and the two cautiously stepped inside the room.

The walls were high, and if Sheik didn't know any better, she would have guessed that they were inside some kind of castle or cathedral. Ahead, there were walls that didn't quite reach the ceiling. Between the walls was a gap.

"Let me go first," Ganondorf said. "If we encounter anything, don't use your magic and let me deal with it."

"Like hell," Sheik said, narrowing her eyes. "If something attacks us, I'm not going to sit around."

The teacher frowned. "Listen, I understand how you feel. But it's not going to help anyone if you exhaust yourself by using up your magic, and you've already overexerted yourself in the fight with the Iron Knuckle."

"I'll be fine," she insisted. "I'm not sitting out of a fight."

Ganondorf sighed. Stubborn teenagers. He reached into his pocket and pulled something out. "Here. Can you use this?"

Sheik took the knife and examined it, raising an eyebrow. "You brought this to school? Aren't you supposed to be a teacher…?"

He waved his hand. "Disregard that. I'm asking you if you can use it."

Sheik opened the knife and gave it a few test swings. "I'm not too skilled with it, but I know how to use it."

"Good," the teacher said. "If there's a fight, use that before you use magic. But don't jump in if you can't get a good hit―Wait for an opening, and don't be careless." He looked at her meaningfully. "Safety first."

"Fine," Sheik said, pocketing the weapon. "I'm not that stupid."

"I should hope so. Nayru help us all if the Bearer of Wisdom should be as reckless as that boy is."

Sheik rolled her eyes, and they moved on. When they got to the gap in the walls, they paused. There was a wall in front of them, and paths to the left and to the right.

"A maze," Ganondorf said with a grin in his voice. "Hilarious." He glanced at Sheik, who was currently walking along the left path. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Are you coming or what?" Sheik said impatiently. Ganondorf frowned, but understood the reason for the urgency. He sighed and followed.

"Let me lead," he said.

"Whatever, just hurry up."

Ganondorf glanced at the girl. "You're worried about him, aren't you?"

Sheik didn't look at him. "Why shouldn't I be? You said it before―he's reckless, and now he's on his own. It makes sense for me to be a little concerned."

The teacher raised an eyebrow. "You know, you two used to be close."

The girl's expression didn't change, but there was a faint blush on her cheeks. Oh, how cute.

"That was in a past life," Sheik said, "and it's not like I remember much of it anyways. Whoever I may have been before doesn't matter―this is who I am now." She glanced at the teacher. "And besides, I'm sure Link feels the same way. I doubt he'd want to be burdened by who he was in the past."

Ganondorf laughed humorlessly. "And yet, some of us still are," he said.

Sheik frowned at him. "What do you―"

"You still don't trust me, do you?" Ganondorf said. Sheik said nothing. "Just as I thought. That's fine. I would expect to gain your trust so easily, granted what I've done in the past."

"No," Sheik said sharply, and he found himself raising an eyebrow as she spoke, "that's not it at all. In all honesty, I could care less about who you were in the past. The reason," she said, "why I don't trust you is because I don't know you. You've been keeping secrets the entire time that I've known you, and you seem like the type of person that isn't above using others for your own gain." She looked at him meaningfully. "That's why I don't trust you. Not because of some reincarnation bullcrap or whatever."

Ganondorf blinked, then broke out into laughter. Sheik stopped walking and glared at him. "What is it?" She demanded. The teacher shook his head.

"You've certainly changed," he said with a smile. "Ah, but then again, you were always a little unpredictable."

Sheik blinked, feeling a bit out of place at the man's apparent nostalgia. She debated on reminding him that she wasn't the same as her past counterpart(s?), but decided against it.

"Let's get a move on," she said finally. "Link's Din knows where and we still haven't gotten out of this maze."

The two of the looked up at the wall ahead.

"Dead end," Sheik muttered. "We'd better backtrack."

Ganondorf frowned. "Hold on, let me try something." The teacher held out his hand and summoned a ball of dark energy. Sheik watched as he blasted the wall with his devastating power.

The smoke from the attack cleared to reveal the undamaged wall.

"Worth a try," the man said.

"Didn't you just tell me not to waste magic?" Sheik said skeptically. The teacher waved it off.

"Right now, our priority is reuniting with Mr. Emeright. Now, come on."

* * *

><p>"Whoa…" Link said, looking around the large room. It was certainly the least dungeon-like room he'd encountered here so far. There were tables and shelves, and its only real purpose seemed to be a place to store things, as it was full of various trinkets and artifacts scattered about. Link walked around slowly, examining the miscellaneous items with wonder.<p>

"What is this place?" he thought aloud. He wandered through the aisles of artifacts until he reached the end of the room. At the very back, there was a large ornate mirror placed against the wall.

"Huh," he said, taking a closer look. "I wonder what this is here for…" He placed a hand on the glass. "Hm…"

"―Geh!?" He felt something grab his wrist tightly and pull him forward. Link closed his eyes, expecting to hit the glass―but instead landed on something hard and cold.

Link pushed himself off of the floor. "What the…" he looked around and found that he was in a room similar to the one he was in before, except…it was backwards?

He whipped his head back to the mirror to see a dark figure staring down at him. Link's eyes widened in shock. The other boy looked exactly like him, save for his hair and clothes, which were both black―and his eyes, which were a glaring red.

"Who…who are you?" Link managed. The other grinned.

"I'm you." The darker Link looked down at himself and tilted his head curiously. "Hm…though I guess I won't be convincing anybody when I'm looking like this, huh?" He snapped his fingers and his appearance shifted. "Now, how's this?"

Link gaped. The 'Link' on the other side of the mirror now looked exactly like he did. Link stood and rushed to the mirror, only to find that it was rock solid. He banged his fists against the surface, to no avail.

"G…Get me out of here―!"

"Tsk, we wouldn't want that, now would we?" The other asked, a mischievous smile on his face. "After all, we can't have two 'Links' running around."

Link continued to bang his fists against the mirror's surface, with no results.

"That won't help you," the other said. "That mirror's made of magic."

"Who are you?" Link asked again. The other tilted his head.

"I already told you: I'm you," he said. His face slipped into a bitter smile. "And I'm getting the hell out of this place."

* * *

><p>The two continued walking for some time.<p>

"Hey, what time is it?" Sheik asked after a while.

The older man checked his watch. "It's almost five."

"Damn. Impa'll have my head for this."

Ganondorf glanced at her. "You seem to have a complicated relationship with your mother," he said.

Sheik sighed. "She's kind-hearted and well intentioned, but also strict and secretive." She snorted. "I used to think that I'd earned her trust, but apparently that's not the case." Her eyes narrowed, "Not even her own kid…"

"…What about your father?" the teacher ventured, changing the subject.

Sheik shrugged. "I never knew him. Impa never told me what he was like―I have no idea if he passed away, or just left."

"…I'm sorry for bringing that up, then."

"No, it's alright," she said. "I've gotten used to it." She glanced at him. "What about you? What was your father like?"

Ganondorf shook his head. "He left when I was young. But my mother…" he faltered. "She was…a remarkable woman."

"…'Was'…?"

The man shrugged. "She passed away when I was ten. My aunts raised me afterwards." He snorted. "That was an interesting experience."

"Hm?" She glanced at him.

He shook his head. "You wouldn't want to know. Trust me."

"Alright…" Sheik looked up. "…Hey, is that…?"

"The exit," Ganondorf confirmed, eyes narrowed. "Let's go."

The next room was round with white walls. There was a door to the right, and in the center of the room was a singled suit of armor.

"Another Iron Knuckle," Ganondorf said. "You ready?"

Sheik's eyes narrowed. "Let's do this."

* * *

><p>"Thank Din that's over with," Ganondorf said. The two were currently entering the room following the fight with the Iron Knuckle. It was strangely different from the previous rooms―For one, it was full of tables and shelves scattered about.<p>

"Guys?" They heard a voice call. "Hey, it's about time you got here!" The two of them saw someone approach them.

"Link?" Sheik said. The boy smiled.

"See? I'm fine―no need to worry."

Ganondorf raised an eyebrow. "Did you find the key?"

Link shook his head. "No, sorry. I looked everywhere in this room, but I couldn't find it." He frowned. "Oh, but I did encounter a monster."

"Hm?"

"Yeah, a freaky doppleganger thing." Link smirked triumphantly. "I kicked its butt pretty easily, though. It was easy to beat after it let its guard down."

"I see…" The teacher said. "Well, we should keep moving. We wouldn't want to run into anything else, and we still need that key."

"Oh, about that…" Link scratched the back of his neck. "When I checked this place out, I didn't see another door. I think we might have missed something in one of the other rooms."

"You want to backtrack?" Sheik asked. Link nodded. The Sheikah girl glanced up at Ganondorf. "Fine by me," she said, shrugging.

The teacher sighed. "Very well, Emeright. Lead the way."

"Great." The boy smiled. "Here, I came in this way." The trio went. Unseen by Ganondorf and Sheik, Link grinned.


	8. Defiance

8 – "Defiance"

* * *

><p>"…The bars are still down."<p>

"I can see that."

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

"Just shut up, alright? I know what to do."

Sheik raised an eyebrow at the banter between her two companions. The three of them had just entered the room where they had previously defeated the Iron Knuckle. To their chagrin, the trap Link had triggered was still closed. Ganondorf had suggested going the way he and Sheik had gone, but Link protested.

"That'll take too long," he said. "Besides, I can figure out how to open this."

The larger man raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And how do you expect to do that—"

_–Click._

"See?" Link said impatiently. "Now, come on."

"Wait," Sheik said, gripping his arm. For a second, she was startled by how cold it was, but brushed the feeling aside. "We don't know that it won't close again."

Link snorted and released himself from her grip.

"Relax, Princess. It's one-way only." He took a step back into the round room to demonstrate, and his companions followed.

"Here," he said. He walked over to a specific stone on the left and pushed his hand against it. The stone moved back and the wall shifted to reveal a set of stairs headed downward.

"Let's go," Link said, starting down the secret entrance.

"Hold it," Ganondorf said sharply. "How did you know to find this Actually, how did you even know how to open that gate?"

Link turned and raised an eyebrow. "Does it matter? We need that key, right? So let's get it as soon as possible and then get the hell out of this place." He started down the steps. "You can follow me or you can go home, but I'm not leaving without that key."

Sheik and Ganondorf exchanged skeptical looks before following him into the darkness below.

* * *

><p>"It's locked," Sheik said. The three of them stood before a large ornate door. Chains ran across the door to a lock in the center.<p>

"Thank you, Your Highness," Link drawled as he dug through his pockets for something. "As if I couldn't already see that."

"What is your _problem_?" Sheik said, stepping forward. "Are you mad at us or something, because if you are, you need to snap out of it."

"I'm sorry, _Princess_," Link said as he pulled out an ornate key and pressed it into the lock. The lock turned and the chains fell. "Are you upset that I'm not groveling before you? Should I get down on my knees and kiss your feet?"

Sheik flushed with both anger and embarrassment. "You—"

"_Enough_," Ganondorf said sharply, gripping Sheik's shoulder before she could do anything. He narrowed his eyes at Link. "I don't know what's been going on with you recently, but you're going to get your act together before we walk through this door. Is that clear?"

"Whatever," Link muttered. Ganondorf glanced at the two teens skeptically.

"Let's just go," Sheik muttered, pulling herself from the teacher's grip. She walked through the now open door, and Link followed suit.

"You coming or what, old man?" Link called.

The Gerudo sighed heavily.

"This does not bode well…" Then, ignoring every instinct telling him otherwise, he followed, catching up to the two teens.

"Nice of you to join us," Link remarked as they continued down the hallway. Ganondorf frowned.

"We'll talk later," the teacher said. Link shrugged.

"Whatever you say."

"Sh," Sheik said. "I hear something." Ganondorf and Link exchanged glances, then looked into the room before them.

It was round and large—larger than the first room. The walls and floors were dark, unlike the white of the rooms before.

In the center of the room was a single man seated atop a suit of armor. He wore white all the way from his hair down to his toes, and while his expression was lighthearted, there was an air about him that set the trio on edge.

"Ah, so you finally decide to show up!" the man said brightly. "You've been awfully rude, you know. You've been keeping me waiting for quite some time."

"Who are you?" Ganondorf asked, eyes narrowed.

"Oh, but of course!" The man said. "Silly me, how could I forget to introduce myself?" He leapt off the armor and bowed with a dramatic flair.

"My name is Ghirahim," the man said, "but you may refer to me as _Demon Lord_ Ghirahim." Ghirahim smirked, a piece of the pretense chipping away. "Oh, but surely you already know of me—I _have_ made your acquaintance before, after all." He looked at Link and Sheik. "Well, some of you, at least."

Sheik raised an eyebrow and glanced at Link. "You know this guy?"

Link shrugged. "Doesn't ring a bell, nope."

Ghirahim glared indignantly. "Why you—you mean to say that you don't even—" He glanced at Link and his eyes widened for a fraction of a second. "Interesting," he said, more to himself than anyone else. Then he turned back to the trio.

"Do you work for Amora?" Ganondorf asked. Ghirahim laughed.

"Me? Work for _him_? Oh, gods no! Me and Amora, we're…how do you say, _friends_, if you will."

"Tch, right," Link said, rolling his eyes. "You're a lackey if I've ever seen one. If you and Amora are so close, how come he's making you do all the dirty work instead of greeting us himself?"

Ghirahim had scowled at the word 'lackey,' but kept himself composed. "Foolish child, I know what you're trying to do and it's not going to work. I am content to do the 'dirty work' if it means achieving our common goal."

"Demise," Ganondorf said, eyes narrowing. Ghirahim laughed.

"Ah yes, _Demise_, Demon King and Destroyer of Worlds! You know," the Demon Lord said, "it's a bit strange that you of all people would be opposed to all of this. I'd have thought that the Great King of Evil would surely be all for the whole 'death' and 'destruction' and 'inevitable apocalypse' thing, give your…_history_."

Ganondorf flinched.

"Screw off," the teacher growled. Ghirahim merely laughed again.

"My, this _is_ interesting! So I what Am-y told me was true! More than true, in fact. You've not only given up on your former ambitions, but you're even going out of your way to help your former enemies!" The Demon Lord grinned and glanced over at the two teenagers. "Or maybe not. After all, this all could just be some elaborate show we're putting on to make him gain your trust up until the point at the very end where he takes that lovely little blade of his and stabs you both in your innocent, trusting, backs."

The teacher was visibly seething, but did not respond.

"Enough of this," Sheik said impatiently. "Were you planning on killing us? Because I think you'll find we won't go down without a fight."

"'Kill you?'" Ghirahim chuckled. "Oh no, where's the fun in that?" He snapped his fingers. "No, I won't kill you…I'll leave you with just enough life left to _beg_ for me to put you out of your misery." A dark blade began to materialize within his hand. "Now—"

"Lord Ghirahim," a fifth voice echoed through the room.

Ghirahim pinched the bridge of his nose impatiently. "What is it, Ikei?" he asked. A figure materialized out of the shadows of the room. His hair and shirt were white, and he wore simple jeans. His eyes were crimson, Sheik noticed. A Sheikah.

"It's done," the newcomer said. "We've got what we came for."

Ghirahim sighed dramatically, and with a snap of his fingers the blade in his hand disappeared into a flurry of diamonds. "Just when we were getting to the good part, too," he said, almost ruefully. "Very well, then." Ghirahim turned to the trio. "It's a shame, but I must take my leave. Oh, but first," he snapped his fingers again and a black gas came forth and entered the suit of armor, "a present." He smirked and turned from them. "We'll meet again soon, I'm sure." He looked at them over his shoulder. "If you survive, that is." There was a burst of diamonds and the accomplices were gone.

The suit of armor stirred, shaking in its place as a dim light began to manifest itself in its eyeholes.

Link and Sheik felt a gust of wind rush forward as Ganondorf sprinted forth and sliced the head off the monster, which fell to the ground with an empty clang.

There was a pregnant silence until Ganondorf relaxed, lowering his blade and turning back to the teens.

"Din strike me if we ever have to do that again," he muttered. "Now, we—GAH?!" The Iron Knuckle's blow sent the dark king flying back into the wall behind the two youths.

"D-Damn it," the thief coughed, struggling to get to his feet. Meanwhile, the Iron Knuckle's head had floated up off of the ground and replaced itself in its original place.

"Are you alright?" Sheik called as she and Link ran over. That throw probably would have been close to fatal to most people—but Ganondorf wasn't most people.

"Don't worry about me," he said quickly. He looked up and his eyes widened. "Look out!" The trio scattered, just in time to avoid the massive spiked ball send flying their way. The impact of the blow was enough to cause some of the wall to crumble.

"He's vulnerable just after he throws his weapon," Ganondorf called, just as the monster hurled the ball and chain again.

"Got it!" Sheik called back as she sprinted past.

"—?! Cromwell!"

The Sheikah warrior ignored Ganondorf's call. Instead, she ran behind the creature and slashed at its back with her knife. There was a pause, and then the thing swung around, giving sheik barely enough time to get back away.

"The back's not its weak spot," Link said beside her. The Sheikah scowled.

"Thank you Captain-freaking-Obvious." She turned to see that Ganondorf was coming at the monster with his magic sword. The Dark King was about to attack when he was forced to leap back to avoid the monster's deadly weapon. This continued as Ganondorf realized that so long as the monster kept attacking, he'd never get a strike in.

"Damn it," the Gerudo muttered. "Hey, Emeright! Give me a hand!"

The hero tilted his head and the Dark King scowled as the spiked ball flew past his head once again.

"Sometime soon!" he called impatiently. Link still didn't move.

"I've got it," Sheik said, sprinting back into the fray.

"Don't—"

"_Can it_. I'll distract the thing while you get a hit in."

Ganondorf frowned, but didn't protest further. Sheik ran behind the creature and attacked. The attacks, of course, did nothing, but they did Ganondorf enough time to land a few attacks of his own. His blade struck, and—

"—Nothing," the Dark King muttered. "Cromwell, get out of there—our attacks aren't working."

Sheik's eyes narrowed. "There's got to be _something_."

"Don't even—"

"Agh!" Out of the blue, the monster had swung a solid arm at the girl, sending her flying into the wall.

"Cromwell!"

Sheik struggled to regain her footing just as the monster swung its weapon into the ceiling, sending rock crumbling down onto her form below.

"_Zelda_!" The Gerudo King called desperately. When the dust cleared, all that remained was a large pile of rubble where Sheik had once been. For the first time in centuries, Ganondorf felt the cold hand of despair grip his heart. The Bearer of Wisdom was—she was—

The Iron Knuckle turned to him menacingly, and the King of Evil gripped his sword tightly. None of their attacks had any effect so far. He wasn't sure how long they could keep this up…

The monster swung its weapon around and prepared to throw—

"_That…"_ Both the Iron Knuckle and the King of Evil were surprised by the voice.

"_Is not_…" The rubble shifted—

"…_my name!_" A rush of shadows exploded from the debris, engulfing a large portion of the room and racing towards the Iron Knuckle. The monster, with nowhere to run and far too slow to escape, could only watch as the shadows wrapped themselves around its armor like vipers, leaving it defenseless and at its opponents' mercy.

A black figure emerged from out of the shadows of the rubble, with whisps of dark energy emanating off its form. Crimson eyes glared from the shadow.

"Sheik…?" Ganondorf muttered in disbelief. The shadowy figure ignored him, choosing instead to approach the helpless Knuckle threateningly.

As Sheik drew closer to the monster, several spikes rose up from the growing black mass in preparation to strike. When she was close enough, she raised her arm to attack, and—

The thing let out a wail of agony and the Sheikah blinked in surprise. There, jutting out from its midsection was a long, thin blade. The sword twisted and the Iron Knuckle howled, then the blade was abruptly ripped out of the creature who then clattered forward onto the ground, defeated.

Link stood over the fallen form of the Iron Knuckle, examining his blade cooly.

"You put on quite a show there," he said. Sheik frowned as the shadows dissipated and she stalked over to Link angrily.

"What is wrong with you?" she demanded. "Did it ever occur to you to jump in sooner?"

Link shrugged. "We're alive, aren't we?" He glanced around. "Now, where's the key…?"

"You—"

Just then, they heard a rumbling at the end of the room. A door had opened. A soft green glow began to emanate from the Iron Knuckle's fallen armor, and Sheik tensed.

"Wait," Link said. He reached a hand into the armor and pulled something out. "The key…" He stood up. "Alright, we've got what we're here for, so we can leave, right?" The boy walked over to the door where they had entered to find that it was sealed. He stared at it and frowned. "Damn…guess there's no other way…maybe I can…"

"Emeright!" At the sound of Ganondorf's voice, Link looked up. "come on!" Link glanced back at the closed door, and his eyes narrowed.

"Right. I'm coming."

* * *

><p>"Back here again…" Sheik muttered. As it turned out, the large room where they had briefly encountered Ghirahim led back to the room filled with artifacts and other various items.<p>

"Okay, the exit's this way so let's go—"

"Ganon! Sheik! Don't listen to him!" The two turned to the back of the room in surprise. Barely visible behind piles of books and assorted shelves there was a large mirror…except instead of showing their reflections, it—

"_Damn_," the doppelgänger cursed. There was a flash of movement and Sheik felt a pressure on her throat. "I was hoping that it wouldn't have to come to this, but…"

"Sheik!" Link called urgently from within the mirror. He banged his fists against the surface, to no avail.

Meanwhile, Sheik struggled within the doppelgänger's chokehold. "You—"

Suddenly, the pressure on Sheik's neck released and she tumbled to the ground, grasping for breath. To her surprise, Ganondorf was holding him by the throat with a single hand. The doppelgänger's fascade melted away, revealing black hair and glowing red eyes.

"Sheik!" Link called again, this time for another reason, and she quickly got to her feet.

"Link!" She ran to the mirror, reaching in and grasping Link by the arm. She pulled him out of his prison and into the room.

"Are you okay?" she asked gently.

Link shook his head. "Not important—Ganondorf—he's gonna kill him—"

The two of them looked up to see the teacher's grip on the doppelgänger's throat tighten.

"Enough," Sheik said sharply. "You can't kill him."

The teacher glanced at the girl. "And why not? He impersonated Link and tried to kill you."

"I said _enough_."

The doppelgänger coughed weakly, and Ganondorf's eyes narrowed as he tightened his grip. "We can't trust him."

"I don't care," Sheik said unwaveringly. "Just like I don't care about the things you've done."

The man flinched, but didn't let go. "You're making a mistake," he said.

"And I said that I don't care. Now let him go."

Ganondorf sighed, then dropped the imposter to the ground. The Link' looked up, only to find a blade at his throat.

"Try anything, and I'll finish what Ganondorf started," Link said. The doppelgänger scowled but didn't move. "Why did you trap me in that mirror?"

"_Why?_" The other snorted. "Why wouldn't I? You would, too, if you'd been stuck in there for as long as I have." He let out a bitter laugh. "I was sealed in that mirror for being a monster. An abomination. I was hated for being what I am."

"And what, exactly, would that be?"

The doppelgänger smiled without humor. "I am Link. I am the manifestation of the deep, dark, rejected emotions of the Hero of Legend. I made him _imperfect_, so I was removed from him and sealed in this hellhole."

"So…what you're saying," Link started, "is that you're…a darker version of me? A 'Dark' Link?"

Dark Link glared coldly. "Have you been listening to a word I've said? I'm not a 'version' of you—I _am_ you. Calling me a 'Dark Link' would be the same as calling you something like 'Light Link.'" He snorted. "Or maybe 'suck-up-to-the-goddesses-Link' would be a better fit."

Sheik stepped up. "You could have just left this place, but instead you risked being found out by helping us find the key. Why?"

"'_Why__?_'" Dark Link repeated. When he looked at her, his eyes burned with something akin to defiance. "_Because I'm a hero_."

The room fell silent at the weight of his words.

Sheik pursed her lips and turned to Ganondorf. "We can't kill him."

"We can't let him wander around on his own, either."

"Why don't we let him come with us?" Link said, keeping his eyes on the doppelgänger as he spoke. "That way we don't have to kill him, and we can still keep an eye on him."

The three of them glanced at the prone figure on the floor. "How does that sound?" Link asked, removing his sword from his neck. Dark Link pushed himself off the floor slowly.

"The hell if I care," he muttered, brushing himself off. "So long as that bastard Amora gets what's coming to him—"

"What time is it?" Sheik asked Ganondorf. The teacher checked his watch.

"9:05. We should get going."

"Oh, that's right," Link said. "We have school tomorrow, don't we?"

"Impa's going to kill me," Sheik muttered, rubbing her temples. Dark glanced between the three of them skeptically.

"…'School'…?"


End file.
